


On The Other Side

by FractalBunny



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-05-10 22:36:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 21,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5603473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FractalBunny/pseuds/FractalBunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phantom hasn't been to the human world since he died. When he meets Sam, things start to pull him back to where he began.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Girl In The Basement

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Let me explain some parts of this story. So basically, this takes place in my (currently unnamed) AU where Danny becomes half-ghost at such a young age that he doesn't realize he can change back to being human, so he lives in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork found him after he fled and took him to Frostbite, who took care of him. Vlad acts as a mentor. He has a first grade understanding of English.
> 
> ALSO - The first few chapters are short as heckies. They get longer, I promise.
> 
> "Words" - English
> 
> 'Words' - Ghost language
> 
> Words - Thoughts

Sam Manson was, in her greatest attempts, not a normal girl. While others her age obsessed over boy bands, makeup, and crushes, she dabbled in darker interests.

Her hair was bobbed, sleek, and raven colored. She had gorgeous amethyst eyes. These combined with her pale skin perfectly contrasted her dark wardrobe of black, purple, and green

Now then, about her darker interests…Sam was completely and utterly obsessed with ghosts.

It all started with her tutor, Jazz Fenton. Jazz was born to two ghost hunters, Jack and Maddie Fenton. At the start of freshman year, Sam's parents hired Jazz, one of the highest scoring students, to be her tutor. Every Friday after school, Sam and Jazz would walk to Fenton Works together. Jack or Maddie would always be working on something in the living room or the basement, usually having to do with ghosts.

Sam would take breaks occasionally and wander down to the basement. The green swirls of the ghost portal would transfix her, gluing her feet to their spots. She wanted to know what lay beyond.

Little did she know, there was someone on the other side wanting to know the exact same thing.


	2. The Boy With The White Hair

The person on the other side was a young boy. He had forgotten his old name, but opted to go by "Phantom". It was a little dull, but he liked the word. His hair was shockingly white, although his eyebrows were black. He wore a black jumpsuit, with white gloves and boots.

'What are you looking at, Phantom?' Phantom shuddered, a small gasp escaping him. 'Who's the pretty girl?' The portal worked like a one-way mirror; Phantom could see the girl, but she would never see him. He turned around, looking at a familiar face.

'Go away, Plasmius. I don't have time for this today.' Plasmius grabbed the boy by his hair. 'Let me go!'

'My my my, isn't she cute? Maybe Skulker will mount her pelt on his wall.' Phantom struggled against the older ghost's grip. Plasmius had once been a human, like him, but he had partially died from exposure to a ghost portal.

'Won't you just leave me alone for once?' Plasmius let go of his hair, floating back a little.

'Fine. Have fun with your little girlfriend, little badger. I don't feel like dealing with a hormonal little teenager today.' He turned away, flying towards an island. 'And remember, your next lesson is coming up!'

'Um, hi…I'm Phantom.' Phantom said to the girl. She put her hand up to the portal, smiling slightly. 'I know you can't hear me…you never have.' He put his hand up to hers, feeling the electric crackle of the portal. 'Maybe someday you will.'

Phantom backed up, looking the girl over. He started to fly in the direction the Realm of The Far Frozen.


	3. Meet Cute

Sam and Tucker were walking to the Nasty Burger. Tucker was on his PDA, as usual, and Sam was talking about ghosts, as usual.

"I mean, don't you think there must be something on the other side of that portal?" She asked. Tucker looked up from his PDA for a moment, laughing.

"Sam, nothing's ever come out of there. Those Fenton people are crazy and you know it." She rolled her eyes, looking at the ground.

"I know there's gotta be something."

XXXXX

They sat at a table together in the crowded restaurant. Tucker was wolfing down a burger, while Sam absentmindedly stared at her veggie burger. She was still thinking about the green swirls of the portal.

A woman came up to the table, eyeing her veggie burger. "Is that a veggie burger, dear?"

"Yeah." Sam said, not looking up. The woman next to her suddenly started to become covered in meat as it flew out of the back room. Sam backed out of her booth, away from the strange creature, and fell to the floor. As the monster raised a hand to attack her, a shape flashed by, punching a hole right through it.

'Leave her alone!' The voice was a sharp tenor, almost that of a teenage boy. Sam looked at the sleek black jumpsuit, the ruffled white hair. The language he spoke was not human. But what startled her most were his glowing green eyes.

"Meat is part of a nutritious diet!" The monster screamed, running towards the floating boy. His hand started to glow green, and he shot a beam of energy at it. The meat dissipated for a moment, but started to come back together. He shot a few more beams, and finally, the meat stopped moving.

"What the hell?" Tucker asked Sam.

"Oh my god." She grinned. "Ghosts."

"What?"

"He's floating and he glows. He's a ghost." Sam was practically shaking with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"So you're saying that Amity Park is haunted? Aw man…" Tucker looked her over. "You okay?"

"Better than ever, you?"

"Fine. Hey, you!" He shouted to the ghost boy. "Thanks for saving us, man!" The boy looked at them, descending until his feet touched the floor. He seemed to be silenced in awe.

"Yeah, thank you." Sam choked out. The ghost looked at her, and reached out to touch her face. His hand was ice cold against her warm skin. He tried his best to remember some English.

"You're welcome." He whispered. Sam backed away from his hand, not liking the freezing cold touch of his white glove. "Sorry." He mumbled, pulling his arm back to his side. "I'm…cold?"

"Dude, you're freezing. I can feel it from over here. What are you?" Tucker asked. Phantom looked at him, a small frown on his face.

"Dead." The two humans looked at each other.

"See, Tucker, I told you ghosts were real." Phantom smiled.

"Ghost! I'm a ghost." He said, excited to be remembering some English, considering he had the aptitude of a 6 year old. His back suddenly stiffened. He tried to find the words, but only came up with one. "Goodbye." His body disappeared, and he flew away.

XXXXX

'Idiot! How could I let my guard down and start talking to humans? What was Frostbite's first rule? Never talk to fucking humans!' Phantom was back in his home, pacing back and forth in his personal ice cavern.

'Phantom? Are you alright?' Frostbite asked. 'Be careful with all of this energy. You could break something.'

'I'm fine. Just thinking.' Phantom's green eyes flashed blue as he made a little ice crystal in his palm. 'See? I have my energy under control. No need to worry.'

'Alright. If you need me, I shall be attending dinner with a few friends. Or, you could always go to Plasmius.' He paused. 'He has been such a good mentor for you, you know.'

'Bye.' Phantom muttered.


	4. Let's Try This Again

Although Phantom knew he shouldn't, he was back at the portal within a month's time. And the girl was on the other side.

'What's your name?' He asked, smiling. 'I bet it's a really pretty name. I don't know many human names though.'

XXXXX

"What's behind you?" Sam asked, disrupting one of the swirls with her finger. She reached slightly beyond the surface of the portal, feeling open space behind it. So, there is something back there.

She held back a scream as a cold hand grabbed hers, pulling her into the Ghost Zone.

"You!" She shouted, holding tightly to the ghost's hand. "Let me go!" He looked down.

"You'll fall." His voice was delicate, like the day they had met.

"Okay, then please, don't let me go…" She said. "I'm Sam. Do you have a name?" He smiled.

"Phantom." Sam smiled. "Hold on." Phantom tightened his grip on her hand, and flew her to a small, floating isle. "Better? You can stand."

"Much better, thanks. Where am I? Is this Heaven or Hell or something?" She asked. Phantom narrowed his eyes.

"Heaven? Hell? Oh! No, this is…what's the word…" Sam raised an eyebrow. "Plasmius says Ghost Zone."

"So Jack and Maddie were right…" Phantom felt a sense of familiarity at those names, but didn't want to scare Sam with questions. "Hey, um, I know you speak some sort of ghost language. How good is your English?"

"Not good. Died young, I guess." He smiled sadly.

"Jazz, the girl who lives in the house with the portal; she tutors me. You know what tutoring is?" Phantom nodded yes. "I could always tutor you in English." Her face was too soft for him to resist stepping a little closer.

"Plasmius never let me. Is it hard?"

"I guess, if you don't know much. Who's Plasmius? Your dad or something?" Phantom nodded no, trying to find all the right words.

"Frostbite is like a dad, I guess. Plasmius…is a…um…" He paused. "Teacher, I think."

"Oh! What does he teach you?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Ghost…stuff…" Phantom produced an ice crystal in his hand. "Frostbite teached me this." His other hand started to glow green. "And Plasmius teached me this, yeah?"

"Wow...and by the way, it's taught, not teached." Sam eyed the crystal with wonder. He narrowed his eyes.

"They…taught me?" Sam nodded. "Cool!" He noticed her looking at the crystal, and held it out to her. "Doesn't melt fast. You want it?" She took it, putting it in her pocket.

"Thanks. Man, I've been saying that a lot lately." Some sort of scream sounded from the green abyss below them, and she jumped forwards onto Phantom. "The hell was that?"

"Ghost, duh." Phantom looked down at the girl, realizing she was trembling. He wrapped his arms around her. "Don't be scared. Or cold. I'm cold, sorry."

"I hate to leave, but Jazz is going to be looking for me. Do you…do you think that you could fly me back to the portal?" Sam asked, leaning back to look him in the eyes. She was shivering slightly from how cold he was.

"Yeah. Of course. Hold on." Phantom held her close, flying her back to the portal. He didn't want to throw her through, so he crossed the threshold, placing her on the floor gently.

"Bye, Phantom. I'll see you next week, maybe?" Sam smiled shyly.

"Maybe."

"Sam! Are you down here?" Jazz called from the top of the stairs. Phantom froze, flying backwards through the portal.

"Yeah! I'll be right up!" Sam called back, taking one last look at the portal.

The ghost boy, Phantom as she now knew him, had felt so human. Not like the ghost from Nasty Burger. He had emotion behind his glowing eyes, he was cold to the touch but his words felt warm.


	5. The Gang's All Here

The next week, Tucker tagged along with Jazz and Sam to Fenton Works. The three had always gotten along well, so Jazz saw no problem in tutoring two kids at once.

After they studied for about an hour, Sam raised the question of taking Tucker down to see the ghost portal. "Can we take a quick break? I want to show Tucker your basement. He's always been curious."

"Well I'm not sure what you'll find down there, but I don't see any problem with it!" Jazz replied. The two got up, leaving their dull math homework behind.

XXXXX

"Sam, what exactly are you gonna show me?" Tucker asked, reluctantly walking down the stairs.

"It's a surprise!" Sam dragged him over by the arm. "This is how I did it last time." She reached her hand through the ghost portal.

"Be careful!" Tucker shouted. Sam smiled at him, feeling an icy hand grab hers.

"Check this out." She said, gently tugging on Phantom's hand. He floated through, his feet lightly touching the ground as he landed.

"No way. You're the ghost from Nasty Burger! Well, one of them." Tucker said, gazing in awe at Phantom.

"Hello. I'm Phantom. I'm sorry…my English is bad. Nasty Burger?" The ghost tilted his head in confusion, like a puppy of some sort.

"I'm Tucker. Y'know, the place where you were fighting the other ghost. The chick covered in meat." Tucker replied, talking slightly slower so Phantom could understand him.

"Oh, yeah! I understand. The food place…um…restaurant." He turned to Sam, his eyes glowing softly at her. "How have you been, Sam?"

"I'm alright. You?" She found herself caught looking at how…cute he was.

"Good! Look, I have human friends!" Phantom grinned, looking at her and Tucker. "That's the word? We're friends?"

"Sure, dude. Being friends with a ghost is gonna up my street cred." Tucker said. Sam snickered at his choice of words. As if he had any street cred to begin with.

"Of course we're friends, Phantom." Sam's voice was suddenly soft, contrasting with her normal sharp tone. "Always."

"Really?" Phantom sounded like a little kid. "Thank you. Both of you." He put his hands on either side of Tucker's face. "It was nice to meet you." Tucker seemed uncomfortable from the cold hands gripping his head, but he smiled anyways.

"You too, man."

"And Sam?" Phantom suddenly embraced her, pressing his nose into her dark hair. "Thanks for coming back."

"Alright big guy, don't give me hypothermia." She gently pushed him away, feeling her skin go up in goosebumps. "Next week?"

"Absolutely." He went back through the portal with one last look at Tucker.

XXXXX

"Well, he seems nice. A bit touchy." Tucker said, smirking. "Looks like he has a little crush on you."

"No, couldn't be. They must be more affectionate where he comes from…" Sam crossed her arms to conserve a little more heat. "Let's head back up. Jazz is probably gonna kill us if we don't get back to algebra."


	6. Heart To Heart

'Snowstorm!' Phantom cried, jumping on one of the yeti-like creatures in his home. 'You're back!'

Snowstorm had light gray fur mottled with white, giving her her name. She had long, curved ice horns, and dainty claws. When Phantom was delivered to the Realm by Clockwork, Frostbite had assigned Snowstorm as Phantom's caretaker. Recently, she had been exploring parts of the ghost zone to find a few missing friends of hers.

'Oh, my dear Phantom! Hello!' Her voice was warm and soothing, unlike most of the ghosts in the Realm.

'I have to tell you something right away. Are you busy?' Phantom asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

'Walk with me for just a moment. I must deliver my report to Frostbite, it will only take a minute.' They walked to Frostbite's chamber and Snowstorm quickly debriefed him. Phantom waited patiently, making little swirls of snow with his hand.

They walked to one of the unoccupied caves, using it as shelter from the freezing winds. Phantom was eager to start.

'You know the portal? The one near Skulker and Ember's island?' Snowstorm nodded warily. 'Well, I saw the Lunch Lady go through it…and I followed her.'

'You left the Ghost Zone? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?' Her voice was sharp and angry. 'You could have gotten killed by some insane ghost hunter! What were you thinking?'

'Calm down, I'm not done.' Phantom said, holding up his hands to keep Snowstorm from possibly attacking him. 'I knew she was up to no good, alright? So I went in after her, completely invisible, just to make sure no one got hurt.' The caretaker nodded, her eyes still dark. 'And I beat her back into the ghost zone. I saved these two people…probably teenagers.'

'Phantom, I'm not sure I like where this is going. You know Frostbite's rules for you.' Snowstorm narrowed her eyes.

'I broke them, okay? I was curious.' Snowstorm's eyes almost fell out of her head, but she kept her mouth tightly shut. 'The two kids – Tucker and Sam, they're named. They're really nice. Sam even offered to give me English lessons.'

'How much have you met with these two?' Snowstorm asked, her voice starting to calm noticeably.

'Just twice. Sam only comes to the portal once a week…Tucker, I don't know. Sam…I wish you could meet her. She's the prettiest human I've ever seen.' He looked at the ground, smiling. 'We might have been wrong about humans, you know. Not all of them are out to kill us.'

'I'm sure they aren't. There's billions. Frostbite was always a bit paranoid after you showed up.' She paused. 'Does Plasmius ever tell you about the human world? He is the only halfa we know of.'

'Nah. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it. All I've heard is something about his lost love or whatever. I guess he doesn't really like anything about the human world.' Phantom sighed. 'It's a shame. I think it's beautiful.'

'Most definitely.' Snowstorm agreed. 'I've been there a few odd times. Much less…creepy.'

'Yeah.' Phantom said, thinking of his new friends. 'Waaay less creepy.'


	7. Paternal Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's some fatherly yet not father-figure Plasmius being a good not-dad.

Phantom was with Plasmius to practice some of his ghost powers. He decided to slip in a question about the human world.

'Um, Plasmius?'

'Yes, my boy?' Plasmius' face softened. He always had a soft spot for the ghost child.

'Do you think you could tell me about the human world? I'm just…curious.' Phantom smiled slightly, trying to get on the older ghost's good side. Plasmius sighed slightly, lowering his head.

'Follow me, dear boy. I'll take you to my home in the human world and show you around.' They flew towards his portal. Phantom was finally fit enough to keep up with Plasmius, after years of practice.

XXXXX

After what seemed like an eternity of flying, they made it to the portal. Plasmius went through first, with the ghost boy following hesitantly. They ended up in a lab, much like the one at Fenton Works.

'This is my lab. I study ghosts here. It hasn't been used much lately…' Plasmius paused. 'Follow me.'

The two walked up a set of stairs, and out of a hidden door behind a bookcase. 'This is my personal study.' Phantom grabbed a book titled "Brave New World". His eyes narrowed.

"Brave…New…World." He said softly. 'How many books are there?'

'I don't know. Millions.' Plasmius said. 'What's with the sudden interest in humans?'

'Nothing. I just…want to learn, is all. Frostbite never told me much.' Phantom flew up to a higher shelf, his eyes skimming the titles. He floated back down, landing next to Plasmius. The older ghost was looking at a framed photo.

'Oh, Maddie…' He whispered.

'Who's Maddie? Is that the lady you always talk about?' Phantom looked at the photo. 'She's pretty.'

'She really is.' Plasmius picked up the photo, changing to his human form. The younger ghost didn't see much of that form, and jumped back.

'Don't be alarmed, little badger.' He and Phantom looked at the photo.

'Who's the other dude?' He asked. Plasmius angrily set the photo back down.

'Not important.' The man growled. 'Let's get back to your lesson. You can only split yourself into four. I want to increase that number by the end of the month.'

'Ooookay then.' Phantom said, taking a step back. He loved Plasmius like a brother, but he knew how awful he was when he was mad.

'Go on back down. Pull on the bust on the right to open to bookcase. I'll be there in just a moment.' Phantom nodded, going back down to the lab. 'Oh, if only you knew. You would leave me, alone and as pitiful as I was without you, little badger.' He said softly, with one last glance at the picture.


	8. Repressed Memories

'Frostbite, he's been talking to humans lately.' Snowstorm said, leaning on a small snowdrift. 'Should I keep him away from the portals?'

'You know how he is. He's defiant. The boy won't listen to you.' Frostbite said grimly. 'Or me, for that matter. Leave me alone to think about this.' Snowstorm left, and he sat against a wall, closing his eyes to reminisce.

XXXXX

_A small boy floated through the ghost zone. He was scared, shivering, and alone. Somehow, he found his way to Clockwork's lair._

_"Oh, little ghost boy. It seems our timelines always connect." The ancient ghost had said, his age rapidly changing back and forth. The boy sniffled, not able to remember what had happened. "It seems you have a bit of amnesia. Do you want to go back home? To the human world?"_

_"No!" The small child shouted. He couldn't have been older than six. "I'm a monster! Suddenly, I'm all glowy…and I'm flying. I know that if I go back…they'll kill me!"_

_"Who's they?" Clockwork asked, although he already knew._

_"I…don't know…" The boy responded. "Who are you?"_

_"I'm a friend." The ghost smiled. "Do you really not want to go home?"_

_"They'll kill me…" The boy repeated._

_"Alright, if you insist. I'll bring you to my old friend. He can take care of you." He took the hand of the boy, and together they flew to the Realm._

XXXXX

_'What is the meaning of this?' Frostbite asked, looking down at the scared, white-haired child. 'Who is this boy?'_

_'He is lost. I want you to take care of him.' Clockwork leaned closer, close enough that the boy couldn't hear._

_'Do not let him near humans. He's a halfa, as they're called. He'll be safer here.' Frostbite's eyes widened._

_'Of course. Come, little one. We shall get you something to eat and somewhere to sleep.' The boy fearfully walked over to the snow creature. 'Do not be afraid. I won't hurt you.' He looked up. 'He'll be safe here, Clockwork.'_

_'Good. I should hope so. I'll keep an eye on you…just in case.' And with that, Clockwork disappeared._

_He reappeared in the Fenton household. Jack, Maddie, and Jasmine were all crowded around the portal, screaming Danny's name._

_'Time out.' The ghost mumbled, pressing a button on his staff. They all froze. 'Desiree, come.' Desiree came through the ghost portal._

_'You summoned me, Clockwork?' Her voice boomed through the lab._

_'I wish for these three to forget about Danny. I wish for all evidence of him to be erased. The only people who will remember the name Danny Fenton are you and I. And…I wish for Plasmius to know what has happened.' Desiree smiled._

_'So you have wished it, so it shall be.'_

XXXXX

'I'll leave him for now.' Frostbite said to no one in particular. 'A little rebellion won't do him any harm…I should hope.'


	9. I Had To

Phantom went through the Fenton portal. It wasn't Friday, but he wanted to track down Sam. He was confident in his ability to sneak out of Frostbite and Plasmius' sight.

When he was out of the house, he became tangible again, breathing in the rich air. The air in the ghost zone was always stale and cold, but this air was warm and misty.

He closed his eyes, sensing the unique energy signatures of everyone around him. "Sam." He whispered. "Where are you?"

At the edge of his thoughts he felt a small twinge. It showed up in his mind as a crackle of violet. He opened his eyes, flying in her direction.

He ended up in front of a mansion. The ghost boy turned intangible, flying through the door. He went upwards, finding himself in a dark purple room. From a closed door, he could hear a shower running. He sat down on the bed, which had a black, lace-trimmed comforter on it.

It was safe to say Sam was surprised to walk out of her bathroom and come across a ghost.

"Phantom! What are you doing here?" She half-shouted, grabbing the flimsy towel around her body.

"I was lonely. I had to see you." Sam sighed.

"Turn around, and don't peek. Let me get dressed." The ghost turned around while she put on her pajamas; a black Dumpty Humpty tee and short, purple shorts. "Alright, you can turn back around."

Phantom's eyes widened. Sam looked exceptionally beautiful with her hair all wet and messy. Without the makeup, she had naturally long, black lashes, and pale pink lips. "You look pretty." He whimpered.

"Pff, nah. I look like any other girl." Sam realized that ghost women probably weren't as…graceful as humans. "What do the ladies in the Ghost Zone look like?" Phantom bit his lip, thinking about the ghosts from the Realm and the few that lived near the Fenton Portal.

"Well, some are…fluffy…and slobbery…others are green…I've even seen a blue one, but she's taken." Sam giggled.

"Yikes. I see why you had to see me, then." It was Phantom's turn to laugh. Sam sat down next to him on the bed, running a hand through her damp hair. "Have anything in mind for what to do?"

"I don't know. We could fly." Sam raised an eyebrow. "I won't drop you."

"Okay. Um…how exactly do you…" Phantom took her hand in his. He turned them both intangible, flying them through the wall and into the open air.

"Oh my god." Sam said, holding Phantom's hand tighter.

"Don't be afraid. Just hold on." He started flying, slowly at first, and began to pick up speed. Sam started to loosen up, looking down at Amity Park.

"Wow. Everything looks weird from up here." She said, feeling the wind rush around her body.

"Yeah." Phantom said absentmindedly. He was looking at her, the way that the wind blew her hair back made her look even more beautiful.

"Here, let's go down to the park. It's beautiful at night." Phantom descended, and they landed next to the fountain. "Let's walk around a little. I could teach you a little English, maybe." Phantom's eyes lit up.

"I would love that!"

XXXXX

They walked through the winding trails of the park, with Sam explaining different rules and words in English.

"This is so hard!" Phantom complained, pushing some hair out of his face. "There's so many 'rules' and 'exceptions'! Ghost is the easiest thing! There are no exceptions!" Sam laughed.

"Really? No exceptions?" Phantom smirked.

"None that I know." He said. "Then again, I'm not sure what an exception is."

"Wow, the ghost boy gets one-upped by the average girl. Score one for humanity." Sam said jokingly.

"Average?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Shut it. Don't give me those glowy puppy dog eyes." Sam snapped, but it wasn't nearly as threatening as it could be due to her slight blush. They both jumped when a small, green dog jumped out of the bushes.

'Cujo? Is this where you've been, boy?' Sam seemed confused by Phantom's ghost-speak, but she rolled with it. The little dog jumped into his arms, excitedly licking him. 'Okay, okay, calm down.'

"Is he…your…dog?" Sam asked, looking at the little dog somewhat fearfully.

"Yeah. Sam, Cujo. Cujo, Sam." The dog panted excitedly, and Phantom put him down. "Me and Frostbite found him near our home a while ago."

"I noticed." Sam muttered.

"Frostbite let me keep him. He ran away two months ago." He glared at the little dog. 'What were you thinking? You could have gotten lost and I wouldn't have found you!' Cujo whimpered, his tail falling between his legs. "I'll fly you home. I should take Cujo back as soon as possible."

He grabbed Sam's hand, and picked up Cujo with his free arm. She was placed safely back in her room, her parents unaware that she had even left. Phantom went back to the Ghost Zone with Cujo, refreshed from seeing her again.


	10. Juxtaposed

Plasmius took Phantom through his portal, considering the boy's growing curiosity. The older ghost, seeing him almost as a son, couldn't resist spoiling him a little. Cujo was by Phantom's side constantly since he was found, so he tagged along.

Plasmius turned back into Masters, stretching a little into his now fully solid body. 'Come now, Phantom.'

'Hang on, Plasmius. Cujo, come here!' The little dog jumped through the portal.

"Two things. One, we must speak English. I have a cleaning lady here today who would be very confused if she heard us speaking in your native tongue. Two, call me Vlad. It is my human name, you know." Phantom nodded. Vlad led him up the lab stairs, back into the study.

"Can I fly here?"

"No."

"Go invisible?"

"No."

"Intangible?"

"No."

"Energy beams?"

"No."

"Ice powers?"

"What do you think?"

"No…" Phantom snickered, and Vlad smiled lightly.

"Humanity is…fragile." Vlad looked up, sighing. "Ah, so very fragile. If they saw you or I flying or phasing through things…society would fall to its knees and crumble."

"Really?" The boy's eyes widened. 'Hear that, Cujo? No huge murder-dog for you.' The dog pouted, but seemed to understand his master.

"What did I say about speaking?" Vlad asked.

"Only English…" Phantom grumbled.

"Now then, I'll take you outside. We can go for a drive; Wisconsin is so very beautiful." He walked outside, Phantom and Cujo practically at his heels. "Have you been to the human world before, Phantom?"

"A little." The boy smiled sheepishly. "You'd kill me if I told you why."

"You know you can always tell me anything." Vlad said, putting a hand on Phantom's shoulder. "Tell me once we get in the car."

They got in a black sports car, Phantom in the passenger's seat and Cujo in the back. Vlad started the vehicle, and it purred to life.

"I made human friends." Phantom said suddenly. Vlad coughed as though he was choking on something.

"What?!" He asked, pulling the car out of the driveway. "Humans?"

"Yeah. Sam and Tucker. They're really nice." The boy's voice was barely a whisper. "Sam's this girl, she wears all black and she lives in the huge mansion. Tucker…I don't know much about him, but he carries around some weird thing Sam called a PDA."

"Ah yes, the girl from the portal. They know you're a ghost?" Vlad asked, making a sharp turn.

"Well, yeah. The first time we met I was saving them from the Lunch Lady. She was about to attack Sam, I think." The man nodded. "They weren't scared of me. Snowstorm always said that humans are afraid of ghosts."

"Most are." Vlad said with a chuckle. "You must have found some rare ones."

"Yeah." Phantom looked out the window at the passing trees. "They think I'm cold, though. Am I really that cold?"

"Well, isn't your ghost core made of ice? You must be freezing to them." Phantom looked at the ground. "That's alright, though. It's nearly summer; it's going to get very hot, very soon. They'll flock to you."

"Summer? I feel like I remember that. Everything's hot. Everyone goes to the beach." Vlad nodded.

"Yes, that's exactly it." He said with a smile. "And humans? Well, we sweat. It's awful. I know that I'll be keeping you close on hot days." He turned to look at Phantom, who was smiling right back. _I can't let him get in trouble. A little surveillance wouldn't hurt._


	11. Close Calls

Phantom started to get somewhat cocky in his ability to go to the human world with ease. He would constantly go to visit Sam or Tucker, who he had grown closer to. The three would talk in Sam's spacious basement. If it was just Phantom and Tucker, they would do something the ghost had never experienced; play video games. If it was just Phantom and Sam, they would fly across Amity Park, or she would give him English lessons in her room.

He made plenty of close calls; it felt like Frostbite was closer than before. The beast seemed to be much more interested in Phantom, talking with the boy for hours. Phantom didn't mind, he had always enjoyed talking to Frostbite.

Snowstorm seemed to give him some clearance. Whenever he wanted to sneak to the human world, she would take care of Cujo in his absence.

He was heading out one Friday, as had become his routine, when he walked straight into Frostbite without noticing. 'Oh, uh, Frostbite!' He choked out. Damn. I sound so suspicious.

'Hello.' The beast seemed distracted by something. 'Where are you off to?'

'I'm…just going to stretch my legs-' It was then that Phantom remembered he was dead and therefore didn't need to stretch anything. 'Sorry, Plasmius says it sometimes. I was just going for a little fly.'

'You seem to be going out a lot lately. Is there something on your mind, boy? You know you can tell me anything.' Frostbite put his non-frozen hand on Phantom's shoulder.

'I've just been thinking a lot. I decided to keep it separate from the time I spend here.' Phantom said with a smile. 'No offense, but you're all really loud.' Almost on cue, Frostbite let out a booming laugh.

'I suppose we are. Go on, boy. I won't keep you any longer.' The snow creature walked away, and Phantom let out a deep sigh.

That was close. He thought to himself, flying off of the island. Let's just hope that I don't find anyone else I know.'

He paused next to Skulker's island. The two had never been close, but they had gotten along in the past. Phantom heard shouting. He saw some sort of explosion, and slowly floated down to make sure Ember wouldn't die in a fire. Again.

'Skulker? Ember? Hello?' He called. Suddenly, Skulker shot right past him, with smoke trailing from his suit.

'Run, Phantom!' He shouted, right before his left thruster gave out. The robotic ghost face planted into the ground, spraying dirt everywhere.

'Get back here!' Ember shouted, coming out from a thicket of dead trees.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' Phantom jumped between her and Skulker. 'What's going on?'

'He broke my damn speakers! Get the hell out of my way!' Ember grabbed Phantom by the front of his shirt and threw him aside. 'What were you thinking?!'

'Ember, please-' Skulker shuffled backwards, wiping dirt off of his face. 'I'll get you new ones!'

'No! I'm done with you constantly breaking my stuff!' She screamed. 'I swear, I'm going to rip your metal heart out!' Her hair flared up as she pulled her guitar off of her back.

'Phantom, help! She broke all of my gear!' Skulker said, looking at the ghost boy. Phantom sprung into action, jumping in front of Skulker.

'Ember, calm down, will you? I'm sure that if we just talk this out-' She struck a chord, causing an arc of energy to slam him in the face. The boy knew he was outmatched; his lesson with Plasmius the day before left him exhausted. His window to see Sam was growing smaller and smaller. 'Skulker, I'm sorry, but I have something to do.'

'Phantom, please!' But the ghost boy was already flying away.

XXXXX

When he got to the portal, Sam looked a little hurt on the other side. 'Shit. I'm such an ass.' He poked his head through.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late, my…friend needed me." Her face brightened instantly.

"No prob. I totally understand." Phantom went through the portal completely, floating a couple of inches above the ground. "Is your friend okay?" He laughed hysterically, leaning against the wall.

"Nope! But his angry girlfriend would have killed me if I stayed much longer."


	12. Melophilia

Sam and Phantom had decided to go to the park. The girl was asking him about how much pop culture he could remember; sadly, it wasn't much.

"So you haven't heard any new music? Not even the popular stuff like Fall Out Boy? It's been out since 2005! Were you alive then?" Sam asked.

"2005…I don't think so. What year is it?"

"2007." Sam said. "That makes me fifteen, I don't know about you." Phantom narrowed his eyes in thought.

"No idea. So, what's this music you want me to hear?" He asked. Sam pulled out her cellphone and a pair of earbuds.

"This first band is one of my favorites. It's called Avenged Sevenfold." She offered Phantom an earbud, and he stared at it, a little confused.

"The hell do I do with this?" Sam took it out of his cold hands and put it in his ear. She put on the song Bat Country at a somewhat low volume. After about a minute, Phantom turned to her with a confused look on his face.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Why do they keep screaming?" He asked. "This _is_ music, right?" His lips curled into a devilish grin as Sam smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"You deserved it." She growled, although she was holding back a smile.

"C'mon, don't be mean! Respect the dead!" Phantom fixed his hair, and noticed Sam was smiling at him. "What?"

"You glow a little. It's hard to see unless you focus on it." She put a hand on the side of his face. "Why are you so cold?"

"Well, you see…" He paused, waiting for Sam to take her hand away due to the cold. She didn't. "My ghost core – it generates coldness. That probably doesn't make sense, but…" His eyes flashed blue as energy started to flicker across his palm. He blew on it gently, and snowflakes appeared. They floated to the ground, and quickly melted.

"Wow." Sam's hand left his face, trailing down to his hand. Avenged Sevenfold was still playing out of the shared phone. When she grasped his hand with hers, he was the one that got chills.

"Sam?" He squeaked out.

"My hands are warm. Here." She put her other hand on his, cradling his freezing cold fingers. Tucking one finger under the glove, she slipped it off. His fingertips were blue. "Look at you. You're gonna give yourself frostbite."

"Well, it's not like it would kill me." Phantom said, with a sad smile. "Your hands…they really are warm."

"Thanks. I try." Sam leaned up against him. "It's weird. You don't feel that cold right now." She looked up at his face. He was blushing.

"I-I don't know why." He stammered, frozen in place. The prettiest human in his eyes was cuddled up against him. Nothing like that had ever happened before, and he didn't know how to react.

"You died pretty young, right?" Sam asked, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"Yeah…" Phantom was surprised he could still talk. He felt everything in his body begin to lock up, but was able to move his arm so that it was around her shoulders. The wind felt strange against his bare skin…if you could even call it skin.

"You've never kissed anyone, have you, Phantom?" He thought he had been paralyzed before; this completely froze him. "What, am I scaring you?"

"What gave you that idea?" He snapped. Sam pointed at his hand. His eyes widened as he realized that his fingertips were crackling with green energy. "Oh, damn…" He muttered, shaking the hand a little until it stopped glowing.

"Look at that. A human scaring a ghost." Sam snickered, looking up at the petrified boy.

"You don't scare me!" Phantom tried to hold on to whatever fragile bravery he had left. Something about the music, her warmth, the way the moonlight caught her face…everything seemed to be setting itself up to make him fall to pieces.

"Yeah. Right." Sam turned her head to look at the moon, and Phantom's jaw dropped slightly. The silver light made her pale skin almost look…glowing. Her amethyst eyes reflected it in little white sparkles.

Phantom felt some sort of ghostly obsession come over him. He wanted to pin her to the ground, kiss her everywhere he could find. With a little shake of his head, he got rid of the image. He knew that ghosts always found an obsession…and he didn't want to have one manifest over one of the most important people in his life.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked, glancing at Phantom.

"Nothing." He whispered, staring at the moon. His eyes softened, hypnotized by the glowing orb. "Nothing at all. This is…perfect." Sam smiled at that, and leaned up against him.

He almost felt warmer than she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record I love A7X please don't freak out at me I just like to roast the things I love...


	13. Guys Night In

Phantom phased into Tucker's bedroom, coming across the boy playing a video game. "Hello." He whispered.

"Ah!" Tucker shouted, turning around. "Dude, don't scare me like that!" Phantom floated down, his legs absent with a flowing tail in their place.

"Sorry." His voice was still soft; he was always scared of yelling and being caught. The ghosts in the Realm tended to shout; he was convinced he should use Plasmius' more gentle tone.

"It's cool. You're a ghost, I get it. Wanna play? It's called Halo 3." Phantom sat down in the other chair, looking at the screen. "We played something like it before, but this just came out."

"Alright." The ghost picked up a controller and started playing.

"So, I hate to be upfront, but are you and Sam…you know…?" Tucker asked, shooting a few enemies.

"What do you mean? I'm sorry, my English still sucks when it comes to…what's the…oh, yeah. Figures of speech." Phantom shot an enemy that was coming up behind Tucker.

"Well it's obvious you guys like each other more than friends. She always had a thing for ghosts, the undead, you name it." He swore under his breath as another cluster of enemies showed up.

"I mean…I don't know. We have these…moments sometimes, and they almost make me feel alive." Tucker turned to Phantom, raising an eyebrow. "I get warmer, and I blush, and I can't move."

"Dude, you've got it bad." They played for a few silent minutes, until Tucker's mom called his name. "Well, she sounds mad. You might wanna get out of here."

"Okay. Bye, Tuck."

"Bye." Phantom shot up and through the roof, turning invisible.

_It isn't that late. I might have some time to visit Sam._ He started flying towards her house, the location memorized. The boy knew he was starting to obsess, as ghosts did; he had stopped caring.


	14. Driving Me Crazy

He showed up at her house after a few minutes of smooth flying. The air was cool, and there was barely a breeze. He flew into her room, to find that Sam was asleep.

Her hair was messy, with her bangs sprawled across her forehead. Other little bits were ever so slightly out of place. God, she's so beautiful. Phantom thought.

After considering how cold he might be, he slipped off his gloves, placing them on the table next to her bed. He looked at his hands; they had become a rare sight. Sam's hands were so much thinner than his, and he wanted to see how well they fit.

"Please don't kill me." He whispered, interlocking one of his hands with hers. They fit perfectly. Sam was roused from her sleep, groaning slightly.

"Phantom?" She mumbled.

"Shh, I'm sorry…" He whispered, backing up.

"No, come here. You're cold again. Just take off your shoes and get under the covers." Phantom took off the white boots, slipping under her sheets with no questions asked.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up…" He said, brushing a lock of hair from her face. She opened her eyes slightly, smiling.

"Come on, I won't bite." Sam put her arms around him, pulling him closer. He did the same, feeling himself starting to freeze up again.

"S-Sam, I…" The ghost was lost for words.

"You don't have to talk, Phantom. Just warm up a little." Sam nuzzled her face into his chest, and he instantly felt warmth shoot through his body. "There. That's better."

"Thank you." Phantom could feel her chest move with her breath, he felt her middle finger making circles on his back, and her toes brushing against his feet. She was driving him up the wall, and she knew it.

"You never said you were coming today. I would have stayed up." Sam said into his chest.

"I was with Tucker, but his mom started bitching at him, so I left early." Phantom decided to fight fire with fire. He started toying with her hair and moving his toes against hers. She was obviously affected; her back arched lightly as he dealt her own poison to her.

"Of course. Mrs. Foley was always a little high-strung." Sam could barely get the words out; Phantom was playing her game.

"I wouldn't know." He mused, shifting quickly so he was on top of her. "You're driving me crazy. I hope you know that."

"I live for it." Sam said. "What are you gonna do now? You've got me pinned, ghost boy." He froze again.

"I'm gonna be honest. I've been dead for a while. I'm not sure." He waited for Sam's expression, which was utter shock. Then he made his move, leaning down and stopping just as their noses touched. "Just kidding." He softly leaned down the last little bit, planting a gentle kiss on her.

Everything inside of him exploded like a firework. His body went up in flames, despite him having a freezing cold core. Everything went numb, except for the parts of him that were touching her.

He pulled back, trembling from the tidal wave of feelings he was experiencing. His eyes stayed shut as he rolled to the side, lying next to Sam. She had a small smirk on her face; it wasn't her first kiss like it was for him, so she was familiar with the tingling feeling.

"Hey, Sam?" Phantom asked after a few minutes of light cuddling. "Was that…did you…"

"You're fine, Phantom." She said, placing another soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "You're also burning hot." Phantom could feel it, the now-foreign sensation of fire.

"Listen, I need to tell you something." He said, so soft that Sam almost couldn't hear it.

"Yeah?"

"Well, all those Fridays that you would come to the portal…before we met…I was on the other side." He got slightly hotter, out of pure embarrassment. "I know it sounds weird, but…"

"No, no, it's not weird at all. You seem to forget that I was at the portal too." She smiled. "I knew there was something there." Phantom pulled her as close as he could, feeling his energy intertwine with hers.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt alive.


	15. Jailbreak

Phantom felt himself fall into a deep obsession. He couldn't sleep, eat, and sometimes, he couldn't even walk straight. The girl with the pale pink lips, purple eyes, and dark hair was taking up every other thought he had.

Snowstorm started to notice that the boy was off. She would try to keep him away from Frostbite; god forbid the older ghost find out that his son was impaired in some way.

'Phantom, how about you go see Plasmius? I'm sure he'd love to see you.' Snowstorm said desperately.

'Mhm.' Phantom mumbled, staring at the sky. 'Maybe.'

'Please, dear, you haven't left your cave in two days. Just get some fresh air. With _Plasmius_.' She didn't want him seeing his human friends; it was her assumption that they were the ones causing the trouble.

'Alright.' He walked past Snowstorm, and she gasped.

_He's giving off heat_. She ruffled his hair on the way out. 'Goodbye, I'll see you soon?'

'Yeah.' Phantom took off, his legs fusing together into a tail.

XXXXX

When he passed the Fenton portal, he noticed something was off. Spectra and Bertrand were next to it, talking in low voices.

'Hey! What are you two up to?' Phantom had never liked them; they always enjoyed toying around with humans. Their heads shot up, and Spectra grinned. It was especially terrifying, considering her and Bertrand were both in their ghost forms.

'That doesn't concern you, Phantom.' Bertrand hissed.

'Actually, it does. You almost killed that redhead last time you went through there.' He lowered his voice. 'And you got your asses kicked by the Fentons.'

'Did not!' Bertrand cried. 'We just…wanted them to think that.'

'Come on Phantom…' Spectra said, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder. 'You're a ghost. Doesn't your true allegiance lie with your own kind?' He felt a wave of guilt. Was he just a ghost?

'I…' Phantom knew what Spectra's abilities entailed; she was doing this to him. 'I might just be a ghost, but I'm not an asshole. Get off of me!' He shocked her with a small beam of ecto-energy.

'You'd better not get in our way!' Spectra growled, baring her sharp teeth. Phantom grabbed her by the shoulders, slamming her into the frame of the portal.

'What's your plan, Spectra?' He shouted. Bertrand lunged at him, but he knocked him away with a beam. 'Attacking kids? That's what you like, isn't it?'

'Please, I'm not stupid. I'm not going to tell my whole plan to you like that!' She said, shoving him away. 'You know this place is like a prison. Join us, and we can rule the human world.' Her voice felt lifeless to him.

'No. I don't want to rule anything, and neither should you. Don't make me fight you.' Phantom said, scowling. Spectra rolled her red eyes.

'Fight me? You're practically a child!' She clamped her hand down on his shoulder, locking her eyes with his. 'You're weak. Naïve. Practically powerless next to every other ghost in here.' Phantom felt his willpower drain away.

'Do you really think so?' He whimpered. Then, something hit him. Sam. She gave him all the power he would ever need.

His eyes flashed blue, and Spectra's hand froze, the ice creeping up her arm. Bertrand jumped at him again, and Phantom shot ice beams at him with his eyes. He was instantly frozen.

'Stop! Let me go!' Spectra shouted, watching the ice move towards her neck.

'Not today. I don't have time to chase you around the human world.' Phantom broke his shoulder away from her frozen hand, and flew towards Plasmius' portal.

XXXXX

When he showed up at the portal, he was exhausted. His run-in with Spectra had left him emotionally drained. He went through the green swirls, only to be in total darkness. His palm lit up with green, and he went over to the staircase. _Wait. I can go intangible. I'm such a dumbass._

He phased through the door into the empty study. "Vlad?" He called. 'Plasmius?'

A small, white cat appeared in the doorway. She mewed, walking over towards Phantom. He bent down to give her a quick pet, but kept walking through the deserted house.

He turned invisible upon hearing voices. One of those, he thought, was Plasmius'. He flew towards what appeared to be a living room, and floated in the doorway, undetected.

Vlad was sitting with three people; a teenage girl with red hair, a man with graying black hair, and a trim woman with short, brown hair. They were all smiling and laughing; Vlad looked happy to have some human contact besides maids and butlers.

The woman looked painfully familiar to Phantom. After thinking about it, he realized she was the woman from the picture. Maddie. Vlad was looking at her like she was the whole world, but Phantom was looking at her like he knew her.

_I know her. I've seen her._ He flew closer, looking her over.

"Does anyone else feel a draft?" The woman asked, crossing her arms. The man, presumably her husband, put his arm around her.

"It might be…a ghost." He mumbled. Vlad's eyes widened, and he looked in Phantom's direction.

'Phantom, they're not fond of ghosts. Get out.' He whispered. Phantom's tuned senses picked up his native language, and he flew up to the ceiling. 'Good boy.' Vlad grinned at the three guests. "No, no ghosts in here, I've made sure of it!"

"Come on guys, can't you two just enjoy a vacation for once?" The teenage girl said, rolling her eyes. "Uncle Vlad, where's the bathroom?" He gestured to a hallway.

"Down there on the left." She got up, tucking a lock of ginger hair behind her ear, and started walking. Phantom followed her, just far away enough that she wouldn't feel the cold.

She looked familiar, just like Maddie had. The way she walked, her high-pitched voice…he knew her. She went into the bathroom and he sat against the wall, still invisible. _Who are you?_

He would ask Plasmius about it later, but in that moment, he needed some comfort, and he knew just who to turn to.


	16. In Your Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so there is some ghost language in here that I got from tumblr. Bonus points if you comment the translations.
> 
> When I wrote this like 5 months ago, I hadn't written a kissing scene in a while. So. Sorry that it's vanilla and really icky.

Sam was sitting in her room working on homework when a very distressed ghost flew in. More specifically, _her_ distressed ghost. Phantom was speaking very rapidly, putting together strings of noises that sounded like no language she had ever heard.

"Ixe, H'e dpcxqulk mor!" He shouted, but all she heard was a jumble of letters.

"Phantom, the hell are you saying?!" She put her hands around his, pulling him down to her level.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just freaking out!" He tore his hands away from her, his tail frantically twitching back and forth. "I know them, I know them…"

"Who?" Sam was trying to stay calm, but she knew that if he was rattled, she should be too.

"These people that Plasmius talked to." He darted forward, knocking both of them onto the bed. His hands forcefully pinned hers down, and his tail split into legs, trapping her further. "Three humans. I know them from somewhere."

"Get off of me!" Sam pushed him upwards, and he floated there, his eyes softening. "Will you please just calm down? I've had a long day, and all of your shouting is going to give me a headache."

"I…" Phantom went to her level, reaching out his hand tentatively. "I'm sorry. Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He realized he had been shouting, and lowered his voice. "I'm so sorry…"

"I'm fine." Sam growled, sitting up more rigidly than normal. "It's just that school was kind of shitty. But please, you go first."

"Well…I went to Plasmius'…er…Vlad's house. And he had these three guests…humans…" Sam nodded, and Phantom sat next to her, looking at the ground. "I know them from somewhere…H'e jcprxhl." The girl had no idea exactly how he was able to throw all of those consonants together, but she nodded. "Sorry, when I'm excited it seems like I forget the English you've taught me."

"It's okay. I think I got the important parts." Sam took his hand in hers, smiling. "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know, I just had to get it off my chest. They must be from before I died, or something." He looked at her, frowning. "What happened to you at school?"

"Nothing." She said instantly, looking away. "Not important."

"Sam." For once, Phantom had an edge to his voice. "Who am I gonna tell?"

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you." Sam took Danny into the bathroom, and turned on the sink. She ran a towel under the warm water, and started wiping makeup off of her face, revealing a light bruise across her left cheek. She then wiped her right arm, and a darker bruise showed up.

"Who did this?" Phantom instantly cooled off, ice crystals starting to form under his feet.

"Calm down and let me explain, will you? And don't freeze the floor." The crystals melted, and they went back to the bed, sitting down. "I got in a fight, okay?"

"Okay…?" Phantom raised his eyebrows.

"There's this total bitch, Paulina. Me and Tucker were hanging out during lunch, and she came over and started talking shit." Phantom clenched his fist. "Usually, I can get rid of her by calling her shallow or dramatic, but today was different. I stood up, telling her to back the fuck off, but she wouldn't listen." She noticed his tension, and waited for him to back down.

"Continue." He growled through gritted teeth.

"So, I pushed her back a little. I guess you could say I started it…at least, that's what the modern school system thinks." She took a moment to roll her eyes. "She said, and I quote, "Get your hands off me, loser!", and slapped me across the face." She pointed to her red marks on her cheek. "So, I one-upped the bitch and punched her in the face."

"No." Phantom said, smirking. "You did not."

"Hell yeah I did! The bruise on my arm is from Tucker holding me back after that." She touched it, hissing through her teeth in pain. "He's got a strong grip."

"I'll remember to smack him for it later." Phantom leaned over, kissing her gently on the cheek. "H amtc smo." He whispered. His cheeks flared up red, and he jumped back. "Please tell me I didn't say that in English."

"No…what was it?" Sam asked, smirking.

"N-nothing. It just slipped out, it was stupid and meaningless." She knew he was lying, but let him cover his tracks. "Listen, about the other night…"

"Which, by the way, wasn't too bad." Sam added, raising one eyebrow. Phantom felt himself start to heat up, so he rose off the bed, his legs becoming a tail.

"Does it…mean…something?" His mouth was dry, enough that he could barely speak. "For us?"

"Well, you don't just kiss someone and pretend it never happened. At least not as a human." She stood up, walking over to the distraught ghost. "Hey, don't freak out. Come down here." He floated down, his green eyes sparkling with fear.

"How do I just…not freak out?" He asked, laughing uncomfortably.

"Like this." Sam grabbed his face with her hands, pulling his lips to hers. His eyes shot open in surprise, but slowly closed as his arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her into him.

He slowly softened, adding some motion to the kiss. Sam graciously accepted the action, crashing her lips against his. One of his hands reached up to fist her hair, making her gasp quietly.

Finally, Sam pulled away, gasping for air. "Jesus…fucking…Christ…" She choked out between breaths. "You ghosts are insane…"

"What? Are you okay?" Phantom asked, instantly back to his quiet, antsy self. Sam raised her head to look at him, and his lips parted in awe. Her hair was messed up from his hands. Her lips were red and swollen. She looked as beautiful as ever.

"I'm walking on fucking sunshine, my god…" She lay down on her bed, putting her hands on her face. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Do what?!" Phantom asked, lying next to her. "I was just kissing you, right?"

"Um, no. No no no." Sam said, laughing. "You were _making out_ with me. And I think I felt my soul leave my body a few times." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry. No offense."

"None taken." He smiled. "Really? That…good?" As usual, Phantom was getting a little too confident in his abilities.

"Mhm." Sam turned to face him, pulling him close. "Hey, I have an idea. Wanna sleep over? We could watch a movie, maybe make out again…" She bit her lip. "Okay, _definitely_ make out again."

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like I have plans. And no one sleeps in the Ghost Zone unless they choose to, so…let's do it!" He smiled, kissing her gently.

"I haven't slept lately. It seems like I only feel safe in your arms. Thanks for messing me up like that, asshole." Sam said, giving him another kiss.

"You're welcome." And that was the story of how Phantom got slapped through a bed. (Sam's hand came down, and he went intangible just a fraction of a second too late. Ouch.)


	17. Turning On The Lights

Phantom flew through the Fenton portal, looking around. He knew that the Fentons could be crazy; Sam had told him about that. Apparently, the parents were ghost hunters, and he did not want to be hunted.

But that day, he was feeling a little curious. Instead of flying straight up and outside, he looked around the house. There was a woman in a blue jumpsuit cleaning some sort of gun. Phantom cringed, going upstairs. In a bedroom, there was a man putting something together. He had on an orange jumpsuit and goggles.

_Geez, what's with these people and jumpsuits?_ He went into a bedroom with a closed door, and his heart jumped into his throat. The girl from Vlad's was there. Ginger hair and all.

He gasped in surprise, flying upwards through the roof. _This isn't happening. Plasmius is friends with a family of fucking ghost hunters! He lets these people in his own home!_ His eyes began to well with tears, which were arguably strange for him, but he blinked them back. _And Sam's friends with them too._ He had known that, but the fact that both she and Vlad knew them…he was confused.

'I can't believe it. Plasmius lets ghost hunters into his own home.' He mumbled. With one last look at the house, he started flying around the city, keeping himself invisible and out of sight.

When he got around a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. There were two men, wearing pristine white suits, holding devices in their hands.

"I'm detecting a lot of ecto-energy nearby. We should call in a team. What do you think, Agent K?" One of them asked, pulling out a gun of some sort.

"Not yet. Only if this becomes a life or death operation." His device started beeping as Phantom got closer. "Agent O, look out!" They started pointing their guns in random directions, and the boy snickered.

"We can't handle this alone, we can't even see the damn thing!" Agent O growled, pointing his gun in Phantom's direction. The ghost boy smiled, deciding to have some fun. Plasmius had done dodging with him a million times; he knew how to avoid weapons.

"Hey, over here!" Phantom shouted, becoming tangible and waving his arms. "Come and get me!" They began to shoot at him, and he easily avoided the blasts. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Get down here, ghost kid!" Agent K shouted, firing a sticky green web at Phantom. He leapt out of the way, but it caught his ankle, attaching him to the side of a building.

"Aw, crap." He muttered, trying to pull his leg free. The men kept firing, but he moved around just enough to avoid them. Finally, he got frustrated, and burned the net off with a flick of his wrist. "Look! Even your…" How could he sound menacing and ghostly? "Pitiful weapons cannot hold me!" He looked to the left, at a crowd of people watching the scene.

"We will use deadly force if you don't come with us right now!" Agent K shouted. Phantom used ectoplasm to secure him and Agent O to a wall, and then covered their mouths with it. There was already a news team on the scene, and he flew over to the camera, grinning.

"Look at this, huh? Ghost hunters, my ass." He pushed his hair out of his face, narrowing his eyes. "There's a new, better ghost hunter in town." He jumped forwards at the camera, and the whole news team flinched. "And his name is Phantom." His laugh could still be heard as he went intangible and flew off.

XXXXX

"You went on live television? Are you insane?" Tucker asked.

"Listen, I know what ghosts are like. I know how to get rid of them without hurting anyone. If I can put those assholes out of business, maybe the world will be a safer place." Phantom looked at the ground. "Ghosts…we get impulsive and destructive when we're mad, mainly because we have the power to. That's what happened to me today."

"Yeah, and I don't want you hurting yourself or anyone in Amity Park!" His friend shouted, scowling.

"I won't, okay? Lately, ghosts have been going through the Fenton portal. I don't know why, but they have. And a couple of humans in jumpsuits or white uniforms aren't going to stop them." He smiled sadly. "Technus, Skulker, or hell, even Cujo could take these guys out."

"Isn't Cujo that little dog you have?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's not so little when he gets mad." Phantom sighed. "I've seen a lot of bad ghosts do a lot of bad shit. And if Pariah were to wake up, or the Fright Knight…" He shrugged. "There would be no survivors."

"Okay, so, you're going to protect Amity Park from all of these insanely powerful ghosts, all by yourself? Good luck, dude. You just stuck two of your possible allies to a wall." Tucker did have a good point, but phantom wasn't ready to admit that he was wrong.

"They would have killed me, no questions asked. Humans are all built up to hate ghosts. That's why Frostbite didn't let me leave the realm until he was certain I could defend myself." He smiled. "And believe me, I was trained well."

"Just don't bite off more than you can chew." Tucker warned. "Dude, you know I trust you, but this was a little over the line. But, if you do need any help with anything technology related, well…" He pulled his PDA out of his pocket. "You know who to call."

"Thanks, Tuck." Phantom smiled, and was about to leave, until Sam burst through the door into the bedroom.

"Are you fucking insane?!" She screamed at Phantom, slamming the door behind her. "Do you want the entire government and every ghost hunter in Amity Park coming after your ass?"

"Nice to see you too." Phantom muttered. "Sam, believe me, I just got the same thing from Tucker, although admittedly less…loud."

"Why shouldn't I be loud? You're asking to get killed!" Her eyes widened as she realized that he was already dead. "Or, whatever the hell happens. Don't you know what they do to ghosts when they capture them?" Tucker and Phantom both raised their eyebrows. "They pull them apart, _molecule by molecule_. Now I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not experience that."

"I'll be fine. Anyways, no ghost hunter is brave enough to actually go into the ghost zone." He smiled. "I could always hide there." His hands tentatively took Sam's, and she loosened up, sighing angrily.

"Fine. But if you fuck up monumentally, we'll be here." They looked at Tucker, who nodded.

"Yeah, man. We've got your back." He added.

"Thanks, guys. I'm gonna go lay low back home for a few days." He gave Sam a quick kiss and flew off.


	18. Consequences

Phantom didn't know what was coming for him.

He landed in the Realm, and started walking towards Frostbite's cavern. His ghost sense went off, and he turned around to see the beast.

'Word is spreading all across the Ghost Zone about what you've done.' Frostbite smiled sadly. "You know I love you as my own, Phantom, but I can't let you slip out of this one."

'I'm…no, actually, I'm not sorry.' Phantom said, narrowing his eyes. 'Those humans could have gotten hurt. They aren't equipped to hunt ghosts at all; I'm doing them a favor.'

'I'm aware that you have their health in mind. I'm not angry, I'm just…' He sighed. 'I was hoping that you wouldn't do something like this. You're so young. You could get hurt.'

'It's not like I can die.' Phantom mumbled.

'Actually…' Frostbite ran his ice claws through the fur on his head. 'If they blast you enough with ecto-energy, it could…what's the word…scramble your DNA. You would degenerate into a puddle.' Phantom's eyes widened. 'And it's _very_ hard to bring a ghost back from that state. Some are so powerful they are immune; like Pariah, for example. But you are young. You would most likely not come back.'

'No…' Phantom whispered. 'I didn't know.'

'Now, listen to me Phantom. I know about your routine visits to the human world.' Frostbite ruffled the boy's hair. 'I'm not mad about that either, but they'll have to happen less often. Do you have…human friends?'

'Snowstorm must have told you, huh…' Phantom groaned. 'Yeah. Two friends, both teenagers. Well, one friend, and…' He blushed.

'Son, please, why are you suddenly so warm?' The beast's eyes widened, and he laughed. 'Oh, I see. You've found a mate.'

'No, not like that. They don't call them mates there.' Phantom smiled. 'Girlfriend. That's the word.'

'Girl…friend? Doesn't make much sense, but I think I understand.' Frostbite sighed. 'I'm afraid you'll have to put that relationship aside. Right now we need to make sure the Realm is secure from humans.'

'What about my friends? The ghost ones?' Phantom had made a few friends, like Skulker, Amorpho, and Johnny 13. Granted, they always had quarrels, considering that ghosts tended to be more violent than humans, but they were friends nonetheless.

'Fine. You may invite Skulker, Amorpho, and Johnny 13 to live here for a while. They can each bring a friend, if they wish.' He got right next to Danny's face. 'Fear is natural. It is alright to be afraid. Just don't let it cloud your senses.'

'I know, you tell me that all the time.' Phantom replied. 'And before you ask, I'll see if Clockwork wants to stay here.'

'That's my boy.' Frostbite smiled. 'Well, off with you. Go do that.'

XXXXX

Phantom landed on Skulker's island, which was eerily quiet. 'Skulker? Ember? Where are you guys?' Cujo sniffed around, and gave the boy a vacant look. 'Weird. Can you track them at all?' The dog started running towards their house, and Phantom flew after him, constantly scanning the area.

They ended up at the door, which had a note taped to it. 'On Vacation' it said. Phantom smiled.

'Well, as long as they're away from that portal.'

XXXXX

He then flew to Amorpho's island. They had experienced plenty of rocky patches in their alliance; Phantom had kept Amorpho from taking over roles in the human world a million times. That was what kept them together. They both had a fondness for humans…just, in different ways.

'Amorpho?' He called. 'It's Phantom!' The ghost appeared in front of him suddenly.

'Hello, dear friend.' He said, his voice as nasally as always. 'You've become popular lately. Quite in the spotlight.'

'Yeah, sorry about that. You know I'd rather it be you.' Phantom said with a smile. 'And since it seems you've already heard the news…Frostbite is going to be securing the realm, and you're invited. You can bring a friend, if you want.'

'Thank you, but I'm comfortable here.' Amorpho changed into a mirror image of Phantom. 'If you want, I could always throw them off your trail.'

'Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want anyone getting hurt. Stay safe, man.' With that, Phantom flew off towards Johnny 13.

XXXXX

By the time he got to Johnny and Kitty's island, he was exhausted. His breath came in and out as short puffs. 'Hello?' He called.

'Phantom?' Kitty asked, coming right up behind him. He jumped, his ghost sense going off somewhat late. 'Dear god, you look like Johnny ran you over.'

'Thanks.' He replied, laughing. 'I assume you've heard what happened?'

'Oh yeah. You're a celebrity, in the human world and here, if you didn't notice.' Kitty turned around. 'Johnny, come outside!' She turned back to Phantom. 'So, whatcha need?'

'Well, Frostbite is gonna put the Realm on high alert, keep it extra secure from humans. You and Johnny can stay there until some of this blows over, if you want.' She pursed her lips, and Johnny came out of the house.

'Hey, Phantom!' He said with a smile. Phantom explained the situation, and he nodded along. 'Yeah, we'd love to stay there! Babe, you've wanted to go on vacation, right?'

'I guess. Isn't it a little cold there, though?' Kitty said. 'Also, we are not bringing Shadow along. We don't need his bad luck.' The black ghost rose up from Johnny's shadow, growling.

'She has a point, Shadow. You can lay low.' Johnny said, crossing his arms. 'We'll get our stuff together and go. Thanks, man.'

'No problem. If they don't let you in, just ask for Frostbite.' Phantom flew off, towards Clockwork's remote island.

XXXXX

'Oh, Phantom, you _really_ shouldn't be here.' Clockwork said, shaking his head. 'You have a way with adjusting the time stream.'

'I know…' Phantom said, smiling.

'I assume Frostbite wants me to stay with you two where the humans can't get me?' He laughed deeply as he shifted into an old man. 'I can always stop time and get away from them. However…' He paused, adjusting a clock. 'I haven't seen my dear friend Frostbite in a while.'

'Does that mean you'll go?' Phantom asked, excited. He had always enjoyed Clockwork's company.

'Why not?' Clockwork grabbed his staff, and locked the time medallions in a box. 'You may go, Phantom. An old man like me is going to take a while to get himself together.' With a wink, he turned into a child, and began locking up his possessions.


	19. Behind Locked Doors

Fenton Works was locked tightly shut, and filled to the brim with ghost weapons. The portal was closed and sealed, but that didn't stop Sam and Phantom from visiting it periodically.

'I fucked up.' Phantom said to the green swirls. Right beyond them, he could see the black doors, which were probably reinforced. 'Look at this. I've gotten one of the things that could keep us together destroyed.'

XXXXX

"You fucked up." Sam growled to the portal doors. "You fucked up _real_ bad."

XXXXX

Phantom flew the distance to Plasmius' portal, hoping it would be open. He grinned when it was, flying through with ease.

He got upstairs, and saw him in his human form reading a book. Trails of red smoke left the man's nose, and he turned around.

'Hello, Phantom. Why are you here? Your lesson isn't until next week.' Phantom fell to the ground, exhausted from his few hours of nonstop flying.

'Haven't you seen the news?' Phantom asked. 'Amity Park…is crawling…with ghost hunters. Ghost portal's shut.' He lay down on his back, taking a deep breath. 'So, I had to use yours.'

'Well, why are you in the human world? You should be with Frostbite. I think that they were going to do a sweep of Amity Park, you know, make sure everything is ghost-free.' Vlad walked over to the boy, helping him up. 'I'm afraid you won't be able to see your little friends after that stunt you pulled.'

'Is it locked down? Can I still get in?' Phantom asked, frantic. He had to see Sam and Tucker. More specifically Sam.

'I'm sure you _could_ , but that doesn't mean you should. It's a long, long flight, a couple hours at least at your top speed. What was it? 112 miles per hour?' Vlad sighed. 'But I can't have you breaking in there in this silly jumpsuit. Or with that shockingly white hair…' He paused, biting back his initial idea.

'What do I do then?' Phantom's eyes widened in a silent plea for help.

'Give me an hour. I'll buy you some clothes, what are you, size medium? We can dye your hair blonde, or something. I'll be back soon. Don't get into trouble.' He turned around, walking towards the garage.

'Okay, Phantom, breathe.' The boy said to himself. He pulled out a random book, opening it to the first page. _Shit, I can't read English._

XXXXX

Vlad returned with a white t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of sneakers. In another bag he had a kit to dye hair dirty blonde.

'Now, go put these on. I'll help you with your hair in a moment.' He said, handing Phantom the bag with the clothes. Phantom raised an eyebrow.

'You know how to dye hair?' He asked.

'We don't talk about college. Go change.' Vlad shooed the boy to the bathroom.

Phantom, for what felt like the first time in forever, slipped off his jumpsuit entirely. He looked in the mirror at his bare skin, seeing a few scratches here and there. When he turned around, he saw a long scar down his back from when he faced off with a monster attacking the Realm.

He put on the loose-fitting jeans and the shirt, feeling the air slip under the clothes. After years of wearing only a jumpsuit, breathable clothing was a relatively foreign concept. He slipped the shoes on, not wanting to ask how Vlad knew his shoe size, and stepped out of the bathroom holding his old clothes.

'How do I look?' He asked, doing a little twirl.

'Fantastic.' Vlad replied, snickering. 'Now come sit down, and I'll fix your hair up.'

XXXXX

After about an hour, Phantom's hair was the darkest possible shade of blonde. 'It doesn't match your eyebrows, but everyone dyes their hair these days.' Vlad said, holding a mirror up to the boy.

'Yikes. I do not make a good blonde.' Danny said, smirking. 'Still, it's better than nothing. How am I gonna fly in these clothes?'

'Oh, no, you're not flying. Well at least, not all by yourself.' Vlad held up a keychain. 'You seem to forget your dearest Uncle Plasmius has a helicopter.'


	20. Roots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a long time since I cross-posted, but life's been a bitch. This was also my favorite chapter I wrote throughout the whole thing.

Vlad landed on a helipad on the outskirts of Amity Park. He turned to Phantom. "Now listen to me. Only speak English. And you need a name…" His eyes went dark for a moment, but then he smiled sadly. "Daniel. Or, Danny, if Daniel isn't cool enough for you."

"Danny." Phantom felt the name with his mouth. "I like it."

"I felt like you would." Vlad put a hand on his shoulder. "It should be a pretty short walk from here to your friends. Lay low, alright? I'll let Frostbite know you're alive. And if you need me…" He opened a compartment, grabbing a pen and some paper and scribbling down some numbers. "This is my phone number. Give it to someone who understands phones, and they can call me." Phantom took the paper, folded it up, and put it in his pocket.

"Thanks, Plasmius. I'll be sure to call you if I need you." He hopped out, looking at the skyline in front of him. Vlad flew the helicopter away, and the boy started walking.

XXXXX

It took him about an hour to reach the heart of the city. He started going towards Sam's house, noticing some familiar streets. There were ghost hunters everywhere, each heavily armed. He started to feel some sweat forming on his face out of sheer nervousness.

He ducked into an alley, taking a deep breath. _Focus, Phantom_. With that, he went back into the street, dodging people and ghost hunters alike.

When he reached Sam's house, he realized that it was a school day, and based on the position of the sun, she was probably still in school. He sighed, looking left and right. If he used one of his ghost powers, every ghost hunter for miles would be able to track him.

He sighed, wondering how he could get inside the house. _Would they be able to track me if I went intangible?_ He looked around again, and disappeared from sight.

Not a single tracker went off. He stood there for a moment, unseen by the human eye, and walked right through the wall. The house was seemingly empty, considering that all the lights were off. He didn't want to fly, so he walked up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible.

He got into Sam's room, closing the door behind him and turning a light on. Then, he closed the curtains with one last peek outside.

XXXXX

When Sam got home, she walked up to her room. "The hell? I didn't leave this light on." She threw her backpack on the ground, and put her hair down. "Shit. I need a haircut."

"Boo." Phantom said, appearing in front of her. She jumped back, almost falling over.

"Dude!" She shouted. "What's with the hair?" He laughed, giving her a hug.

"Plasmius dyed it so I could blend in. Apparently this city is filled with ghost hunters." Phantom pulled back, kissing her forehead. Sam giggled, ruffling his hair.

"Looks good, ghost boy." Her eyes darted down to his lips, and his to hers. She leaned forwards, obviously trying to hold herself back.

"Come on, kiss me." Phantom said, licking his lips. "Please." She moved in, giving him a passionate kiss.

"I was scared, you know." She said, a millimeter from his lips. "That I wouldn't be able to see you anymore."

"I found a way, didn't I?" Phantom whispered back.

"Sammiekins!" A peppy voice said from outside the door. Sam and Phantom looked at each other, and he did something new. He went intangible, and flew directly into his girlfriend. A woman opened the door, grinning. "Hey, sweetie! How was school?" The thing was, she was talking to Phantom. He was _inside_ Sam, controlling her body.

"Um…it was good…mom?" He heard a voice in the back of his head.

_What the hell did you do_?! Sam practically screamed at him.

"But…leave me alone! I want to listen to…" He pried his thoughts for Sam's favorite bands. "Pierce the Veil…and think about how much I hate the system!" Sam's mom looked distraught, and slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Phantom flew out of Sam's body, and she swayed for a moment as she regained control.

"What the fuck?" She hissed.

"I think Plasmius calls it overshadowing…I took over your body, I guess." Phantom smiled sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't get in too much trouble.

"Alright, just don't ever do that again." She growled, pulling him close again. "It feels weird."

"Okay, okay." He said softly. "I'll be more careful." His lips met hers again, but she pushed him away.

"I need to run to the store, and they close early on Fridays." She said, smirking at his pained expression. "You could come with me?"

"Alright. I'll meet you out front." Before she could ask, he had phased through the floor.

XXXXX

Sam walked outside, and there he was, blonde hair and all. She started walking towards the store, taking his hand in hers. He blushed, his body practically going up in flames.

"Don't tell me you've never held someone's hand before." Sam said, laughing.

"Like I said, I can choose between green and slobbery." Phantom tried to look angry, but was still too flustered. "Or you. Guess which one I chose."

"Knowing you, probably green." Sam snickered at Phantom's surprised face.

"Hey!" He looked away. "Also, when we're in public, call me Danny. Plasmius chose the name for me."

"Danny?" Sam squeezed his hand. "It fits."

"Yeah. Maybe I used to be a Danny, who knows." Sam pulled him around a corner, towards the grocery store. "So, why are we going to the store? Can't your parents just buy this stuff?"

"Well, honestly, they never buy the right things." She rolled her eyes. "I don't eat anything with a face, and they just love their bacon. So, after they go to the store and buy all the wrong things, I grab some money and buy what I want."

"Makes sense." They walked in through the automatic doors, which freaked Phantom out a little. "Whoa. Those doors…they moved when they saw us."

"Technology, Ph…I mean, Danny." Sam started grabbing some vegetables and putting them in bags, when Phantom's ghost sense went off.

"Shit." He whispered. "There's a ghost in here."

"What?" Sam asked, her eyes wide.

"You know how I have a ghost sense? Well, it just went off. I'm gonna look around the um…" He gestured at the racks, hoping Sam would give him the word.

"Aisles." She said, snickering.

"Aisles. I'll look for anything out of the-" He was cut off by a very familiar, very annoying voice.

"I am the Box Ghost!" A blue ghost shouted, rising above the aisles.

"Dammit. He must have been hiding in a storage room or something." Phantom sighed. "And I can't use my powers if I don't want to get shot to death…"

"Just…be lowkey. People are going to run away from the ghost. Take him out when you get open space." Sam said. "I'll cover you." Phantom nodded, running towards the Box Ghost.

'Hey, come on, man!' He shouted. 'I'm with my girlfriend, can't you give humanity a break?'

'No! I am the Box Ghost, and you will fear my cubic wrath!' Phantom sighed, shooting him with a blast of energy.

'Seriously. I don't have time for this.' He narrowed his eyes. 'I'm trying to save you, okay? Those ghost hunters will literally kill you. Again. But there's nowhere to go after the Ghost Zone.'

'Kill me?' Phantom heard the ghost falter. 'This is not over!' He phased through a wall, and Phantom ran outside, where Sam had pretend-collapsed on the ground. She had two hunters looking over her.

"Oh, Danny, thank goodness you're okay!" She cried, reaching her arms out to him. He picked her up, holding her bridal-style. When he looked at the hunters, he gasped.

It was the man and woman from Vlad's house. The Fentons. He tried to pull himself together.

"Thanks for looking after…um…" He glanced at Sam, who smiled. "My…girlfriend?"

"Oh, you're dating Sam? How sweet!" The woman in the blue jumpsuit said, her voice sugary. "I don't think I've ever heard of you, what's your name, dear?"

"Danny. But I'll take her home, no need to worry." The man raised an eyebrow.

"Danny. You sure we've never met him, Maddie?" He looked into the distance in thought.

"I'm pretty sure!" The woman patted Phantom's shoulder. "Have fun, you two!"

XXXXX

Phantom took Sam into an alley. "You're okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I just didn't want them in there, they…well, they have bad aim and I don't want you getting hurt." He set her down, sitting next to her.

"Makes enough sense. Thanks, Sam." He grinned. "Now that every ghost hunter in town is gonna be in there, want me to fly you home?"

"Yeah, but I have a question. Where, exactly, are you gonna be staying?" Sam asked, despite already knowing the answer. Phantom stood up, helped her up, and then pulled her close.

"With you, of course." He turned them invisible, and flew them back to her house. Sam could have sworn he was warmer than she was.


	21. Unusual Allies

Phantom woke up the next morning, stretching gently. He looked down at Sam, who was still fast asleep.

Her breathing was soft and routine, and her skin glowed from sleep. He gave her a quick kiss, careful not to wake her. Since it was Saturday, he decided not to disturb her, and stayed right where he was.

She would move slightly once in a while, making a soft noise. Phantom loved the way she had curled up against him, her legs intertwined with his.

After admiring her for what felt like a long time, he dragged himself out of bed. He walked over to the window, moving the curtains just enough to look around Amity Park.

He watched people go by, on their way to work, sometimes just taking a little walk. Cars would occasionally come by, and he would track them, his ears picking up every little noise they made.

"Morning." Sam said, suddenly behind him. He turned around, looking at her. Her eyes were still glazed over, her hair was messy in the back, and she had some eyeliner smudged around her eyes. That didn't make her any less beautiful, though.

"Smo'pc ycxorhdoa." He whispered. "Ncpdcjr." Sam widened her eyes at the way his tongue seamlessly stitched consonants together. "Sorry. I guess I kinda default to my native language." He added. "I said that you're beautiful."

"Really? I still need to shower." Sam said, ruffling her hair. "And no, you can't join me."

"C'mon, don't get so defensive. I wasn't gonna ask anyways." Phantom floated up to the ceiling. "And how would you know if I was in there?" He went invisible.

"You know, I could always ask Jack and Maddie if they have a spare ecto-foamer." Sam growled, walking into the bathroom and locking the door.

XXXXX

Phantom decided to fly around a little while she was gone, first putting his jumpsuit back on. He kept himself invisible, and hopefully away from any hunters. His ghost sense went off, and he looked around. _It could just be the Box Ghost. Here's to hoping it's just the Box Ghost_. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

He landed on top of a building, becoming visible again. 'Hello?' He called. 'Who are you? What are you doing here?'

'I am Technus!' The irritatingly loud ghost landed in front of him. 'But who are you?'

'Dammit, it's me, Phantom. Just went through a little hair change.' He raised his hand, and it crackled with green energy. 'I don't want to fight you. I also don't want those hunters to kill you, or anyone. Just go back to the ghost zone and-' Technus shut the boy up by firing a ghost ray at him.

'You will not stop me! With all of the technology these hunters have been carrying around, I can take over-' This time, Phantom cut him off by blasting him with ice.

'That's enough, Technus.' He said, standing up slowly. 'Let's be reasonable ghosts about this.' Unfortunately, his peacemaking efforts were cut off by agents running through the roof access door.

"Freeze, ghosts!" One of them shouted. He pointed his gun directly at Phantom, who sighed angrily.

"I swear to god. I'm on your side! I was trying to get rid of this asshole-" He pointed at Technus, "Before you guys started wasting time shooting at him."

"All ghosts are against humans. That's how it is." Another agent said, putting his finger on the trigger. "Now surrender, so we can take you in for thorough examination." He smiled. "And decommission."

"Really? You're telling me you want to kill me, and therefore I should come with you?" Phantom turned to Technus. "Do you believe this guy?" The older ghost shrugged. 'Get into their tech. This doesn't mean we're friends, but I'm not gonna let them kill us.'

"Speak English!" An agent shouted. Technus laughed, went intangible, and phased into a scanner. Laughing came from all directions as Technus moved through the system.

"I, Technus, have taken over your GPS systems! Isn't that wicked?" All of the devices fizzled and died, and he phased out.

"Now leave the ghost hunting to me." Phantom growled, whipping around and shooting Technus. 'Go back to the Ghost Zone! You'll get hurt here, and I don't want you messing with humans!' He shouted. The agents, completely deprived of everything except guns, began shooting at Phantom.

The boy decided to do something he had never done; gone into what Plasmius called 'overload', when he let all of his ecto-energy seep out at once. Plasmius, due to some negative feelings and having extremely powerful ghost energy, was able to do it quite easily. However, Phantom had never been able to do it right.

His skin went from its normal shade to having a mint green color; his eyes glowing brightly blue-green. He shot Technus again, his teeth becoming pointed.

"Shoot him!" An agent shouted, and they all opened fire. He surrounded himself in a shield, his hair going up in white flames.

"I said, leave the ghost hunting to me." His voice was gravelly. "I don't want to fight all of you and Technus; it's just unfair." Phantom smiled. "To you."

Technus seemed scared, and went intangible, sinking down into the building. All eyes were on Phantom, who put the shield down. He wasn't looking too pretty; ectoplasm started to foam out of his mouth, and he almost looked rabid.

"Keep shooting until we get reinforcements!" An agent said. Phantom looked up, seeing a news helicopter.

'You've gotta be fucking kidding me.' He said, flying up to dodge bullets. His hands glowed green, and he shot at a few of the agents, knocking them over. He wasn't going to start killing them, especially considering he was starting to form a liking for humans.

His tail whipped back and forth angrily, and he froze all of the agents to the ground, moving the ice around their ankles.

"Won't you all just leave me alone?!" He shouted, flying away and going intangible. When he got to Sam's, he phased through the wall, somewhat crash-landing on her bed.

"You're a dumbass." She said, considering he had landed on her legs. Her personal TV was on the news station, showing him shooting at the Guys in White.

"Phantom, the self-named ghost, is shown here shooting at the Guys in White. These images may be disturbing, but the agents are all alive and without much injury. The worst they've experienced are some broken ribs from the force of the blasts-" Sam clicked the mute button, silencing the reporter.

"Sorry?" Phantom asked, his hair still flaming. His skin was starting to go back to a normal shade, but his cheeks were still dusted with green. "I would have died, there were too many of them. I just had to scare them a little." He flashed a fanged smile, hoping he wouldn't get in too much trouble.

"You are such an ass." She said, shoving him off of her. "And you're leaking ectoplasm. Get off of my sheets." He stood up, and realized he had gotten shot in the back.

"Ow." Phantom's hair went back to its normal self, back to its natural white. "Is it bad?"

"Oh god, how do I stop it?" Sam ran into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and covering it. "It's thicker than blood…this should hold it."

"Shit, Sam, I think I lost a lot…" Phantom faltered. "My legs…" He fell to the ground, and Sam saw multiple graze wounds on his legs, each of which were welling up with ectoplasm. "If I pass out, I'll be okay. It'll regenerate, and I'll sleep…I hope…" His eyes closed slowly, and he let out a soft sigh.

"Phantom? Oh god, don't be dead-" A blue ring appeared around his waist, and it split into two, going up and down his body. His hair became black, and the colors of his jumpsuit became inverted. "The hell?"


	22. Unearthing The Truth

Sam sighed, walking back and forth. She had found some old ace bandages and patched up Phantom, or whoever he had become. _Okay, okay, this is weird. This is really weird_. She picked up his jeans and t-shirt off of the floor, fidgeting with them to keep herself from panicking. A piece of white paper was peeking out of his jean pocket, and she pulled it out, unfolding it to a number.

She took her cellphone out, dialing it to the number. _Please pick up_.

"Hello? Phantom?" A voice with a light accent answered the phone.

"No, this is Sam, his…um…" She paused. "Friend."

"Oh, yes, of course. The little goth girl." Sam would get over the fact that this creepy-sounding older man knew who she was later. "What can I do for you? Is Phantom there?"

"Well, he's here alright. Listen, who are you?" She asked.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I'm not sure if he's told you about me. I'm Vlad. He knows me as Vlad Plasmius." His title sounded very regal. Sam grinned.

"Oh, thank god! Someone who knows what's up with all of this ghost stuff. Okay, so, he attacked…or maybe some government agents attacked him. And he got shot in the back, and he was bleeding that weird green shit. He passed out, these blue rings appeared, and his hair and clothes got like, inverted." She heard Vlad sigh over the phone.

"Shit." He muttered. "Sam, I'm going to tell you about something called a halfa. It's what I am. Half human, half ghost, due to being in a ghost portal during activation. I haven't quite figured out the science behind it, but the radiation, it…it changes the DNA."

"Yeah…" Sam had an idea of what he was talking about. "That's what you are, right? You can switch between being human and…ghost." She gasped. "No."

"Yes. When Phantom, or should I say Daniel, was very young, his parents built a portal. The Fentons, I assume you know them. He must have just been five or six…when it didn't work, he put on a jumpsuit and tried it out himself. Those idiots put the button on the inside of the machine." Vlad sighed angrily. "Poor boy…he was nearly burned up in the activation. When he woke up, he didn't remember anything. He didn't want to go home, because he was convinced that whoever was there would kill him."

"That's…awful…" Sam was frozen in shock. Phantom actually _was_ Danny?

"Clockwork, a time ghost, changed the universe in some way, possibly with Desiree, the ghost of desires. He had me learn everything that happened. He gave little Daniel, or Phantom as the child took on, to Frostbite. Such a nice, older beast, let me tell you." He paused, laughing quietly. "The boy grew up thinking he was full ghost, with little to no recollection of his previous life."

"That's why he and the Fentons recognized each other." Sam said, looking at the unconscious boy on the floor. "He's their son. That's amazing, they have a son…and oh god, he's in my house."

"Is he breathing?" Vlad asked. Sam quickly checked.

"Yep, still…alive? You guys are alive, aren't you?" She asked. Vlad laughed for a moment.

"Of course! We're just…well, I assume you know about those mutant superheroes, right? It's something like that." He sighed softly. "Usually a halfa has to lose a lot of ectoplasm to revert to their human form…it's only happened to me once or twice. That, or they need to be knocked out cold. Poor Phantom…"

"I guess I'll wait for him to wake up…is there something I can do?" Sam asked.

"Just wait. Explain to him, calmly, everything I just told you. If you get scared and can't remember everything, give me a call. Phantom may be impulsive and overconfident, but he's not an idiot. Just keep him calm, he could injure himself trying to prematurely transform back." Sam made a mental note. "Farewell, Sam, and good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it."


	23. Hold Me Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's chapters like these that show that this whole godforsaken fic was written so that I could practice my romance writing.

Needless to say, when Phantom woke up, he was somewhat confused.

"What the hell? Why is there this…this pounding in my chest? I have to breathe?! Oh god, oh my god, what the fuck?" He scrambled backwards until his back was against Sam's bed. "Take the number out of my pocket, and-"

"Already did." Sam said. She proceeded to explain everything, with Phantom getting so angry at some points that his eyes would flash green, and he would start coughing from exhaustion.

"I'm not…dead?" He asked. "My family…they're ghost hunters. Wait…oh my god!"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Well, when I first met Clockwork, I remember…I was going on and on about how 'they' would kill me! Sam, I didn't come back here because I was scared of my parents!" Phantom stood up slowly, still shaking. "I need to change back, I need to see Vlad in person…" The blue rings fizzled into existence, and Sam remembered Vlad's words.

 _He could injure himself trying to prematurely transform back_. She then proceeded to punch the boy in the face, hard enough that it knocked him over a little and the blue rings disappeared.

"Ow, what was that for?" He asked.

"Vlad said you could get hurt trying to change back, if you hadn't like…healed or whatever." Phantom sighed angrily, rubbing the side of his face. "Sorry. I panicked."

"No, no, it's fine." He walked over to her vanity, looking himself over. "I've gotta admit, I like the black hair."

"Yeah, it's cute. And it actually matches your eyebrows…" Sam said with a snicker. She walked over to him, putting her arms around his waist and putting her face up to his back. "Damn, your back is toned."

"Well, y'know, constantly getting into fights really builds muscle." Phantom said, looking himself over. "Being human is so… _warm_. Like, I'm surprised I'm not sweating right now."

"Well, the normal human temperature is 98.6 degrees…how cold is your ghost form?" Sam looked at him, considering he was only wearing jeans and bandages after she dressed him. His chest was defined beyond belief…and she wasn't even going to try staring at his arms.

"I dunno…cold?" He laughed. "What? My eyes are up here."

"Shit, sorry, you're just…wow." She said, reaching out to touch his chest. "This is unreal."

"Well, I'm solid for the first time in my life, it feels like, so I think I'm as real as ever." Phantom said, leaning against the vanity. "This is just…so…weird."

"How's your back?" Sam asked. He turned around, shrugging.

"I heal faster than a human. Take a look, it might already be healed." His shoulders relaxed so that Sam could peel back some of the bandages.

"Holy shit." She whispered. "There's just a scar at the impact point."

"The what?" Phantom asked. His English was still spotty, despite the fact that he could talk like a regular teenager.

"Sorry. The place where it hit you. There's a dark red mark there, but not a bruise." Sam kissed it gently. "Better?"

"Better." She took the rest of the bandages off, admiring his muscular form as she did so.

"You want your shirt?" She asked, gesturing to the plain white t-shirt. "My parents would freak out slightly less if they walked in on this, if you were wearing a shirt."

"No, I'm _hot_." He said, visibly sweating a little. "I'm not used to being this hot. I don't like it. I feel like I'm melting."

"I'll um…do you want a fan or something?" Sam asked. Phantom nodded, and she grabbed the fan in the corner, putting it at the foot of the bed. She propped up the pillows, and sat down. "Join me."

"Thanks." He sat next to her, closing his eyes against the breeze the fan was making. "This is nice. I am totally okay with this. I'm half human, my real parents want to kill me, and I'm sweating all over myself. Good day to be me."

"Well, at least you aren't totally alone in this." Sam added. "You know I've got your back, Phantom."

"Thanks." He mumbled. "I'm just…I don't know. Shocked? Is that the right word?"

"Yeah, I'd say that you should at _least_ be feeling shocked." Sam cuddled up against him. "I can't imagine."

"At least I have you." He said, sighing. "I mean, your existence did get me into this mess, but I'd rather know the truth." His eyes closed. "And you're the best person to have."


	24. Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such shit at bringing this over from FF.net I'm just lazy I'm s o r r y. This chapter was really short and kinda filler because at the time it was written I had dropped my phone in the toilet and I was having a mental breakdown while it was sitting in a bag of rice.

'Oh, dear.' Clockwork mumbled, staring through the portal at Phantom, who was asleep next to Sam. 'I knew Plasmius would tell that boy the truth.' He was sitting against a snowdrift, considering he was with Frostbite in the Realm.

'What do we do?' Frostbite asked. 'You always have a connection.'

'We do nothing. In the time stream, there is never a time that he doesn't find out his identity.' The old ghost sighed. 'He's grown up. He can decide his own fate now.'

'He could get into danger.' Frostbite growled. 'Those hunters could kill him.'

'No, no, the boy is powerful enough. And, his half human status keeps him hidden from detection as long as he doesn't transform into a ghost.' Clockwork closed the portal. 'We can just sit, and wait. If we anger him…well, you know the outcome of that.'

'What, you mean that mint green nightmare? No. That would never happen to Phantom. _Never_.' The beast clenched his icy hand. 'That horrid future is but a possibility.'

'Yes, but it happens in multiple timelines. Phantom and Plasmius becoming one single, murderous entity is a very possible reality. We cannot let anything happen to those he loves.' He sighed. 'Plasmius would do something like that for the boy. Rip out the ghost half, leaving it without reason or love. Just for his little badger.'

'Indeed he would. Plasmius…is a good man, not a great one. He'll do anything for Phantom.' Frostbite created an ice crystal in his hand. 'What do we do to protect my boy?'

'We leave him be. I can't keep meddling in the time stream, not with those irritating Observants on my back.' Clockwork sensed Frostbite's unease. 'You and Plasmius trained him well. He can take care of himself.'

'I know he can take care of himself, but he's dragging innocent humans into this. He could get someone killed.' Frostbite sighed. 'He's not ready for all of the responsibility he's gotten himself into.'

'Please, you're being overprotective. He can take care of this.' Clockwork absentmindedly twirled his staff. 'He's grown.'

'I suppose. I'll trust you this one time.' The beast smiled. 'With hope, I can trust Phantom too.'


	25. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the chapter written AFTER I learned that my phone was fine. So it's longer. Lmao I was such a mess last summer...

"I need to see Plasmius." Phantom growled. "Now. Can you call him?" It was the next morning, and the ghost was not pleased. He had regenerated enough ectoplasm to be able to change into his ghost form, and he was already getting colder.

"Yeah, but don't freeze yourself to the floor. It's cold as hell in here…" Sam shuddered, picking up the phone and dialing Vlad. He picked up almost instantly. "Yeah, yeah, hold on, let me hand the phone to Phantom."

'Phantom, hello! How are you-'

'You didn't tell me? You've known me for years, and you didn't fucking tell me? I have a human family? I'm only a halfa? That everything has been one big lie?' He ran a hand through his hair angrily, feeling the coldness of the black locks. 'God, you're really gonna need to cover your ass this time, Plasmius.'

'Alright, let's take a deep breath.' Vlad said, hoping he could cool Phantom off. 'I didn't tell you because I was told specifically not to.'

'By who? Who else knows?' Phantom's eyes switched to green, and the same color started to flicker across his fingertips.

"Hey, don't." Sam warned, smacking his hand. The crackles vanished.

"Sorry." He mouthed with a shy smile. 'Answer me! Who the hell else?'

'Frostbite and Clockwork. Possibly Desiree, but she's been missing for god knows how long.' Vlad sounded shaky. 'Clockwork used Desiree to wipe your existence as a human. He knew that your parents would hunt you, or…' He paused.

'Or what?' Phantom snapped.

'You would become a monster.' Vlad's voice was shaky. 'Apparently, there's a few different ways your life could have gone, and a few of them…ended…' He sighed. 'With you becoming more powerful and more dangerous than any ghost before you.'

'What does that mean? A monster? It's not possible, I…' Phantom swallowed the lump forming in his throat. 'You're just making shit up to scare me.'

'Really? Why would I do that? You know the truth now, be mature, Phantom.' Vlad sighed. 'Would you like me to get you, and bring you to the ghost zone so you can take this up with Clockwork? He is the only one who knows the whole story.'

'Yeah…Clockwork. Alright.' Phantom smiled at Sam, who hadn't understood a word of anything he was saying, but she smiled back. 'I'll meet you where we were last time?'

'Yes, that would be perfect.' Vlad said. 'Goodbye, little badger.'

'Bye.' Phantom hung up the phone. "Well, I've gotta go. Plasmius is picking me up in his helicopter outside of town, and I'll need to meet him there."

"I'm coming with you." Sam said, standing up. "You're about to learn a lot of stuff, and I don't want you to do it alone."

"No, Sam, it's too dangerous. You could die around all of those ghosts." Phantom pulled her close. "I can't lose you, not after all of this."

"But I understand what you're going through. I'm adopted too, you know." She said with a smile. "Please, just let me come with."

"Okay…" Phantom said. "We need to get going. Make an excuse to your parents, I don't know. I'll be outside."

XXXXX

Sam came outside a few minutes later, with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She walked over to Phantom, taking his hand in hers.

"I brought some clothes, and some sort of gun the Fentons gave me." Phantom's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna shoot you."

"Thank god." He said, squeezing her hand. "It's a long walk, so, we'd better go."

They started walking through the streets, seeing ghost hunters at every turn. A few that Phantom had faced off against had been patched up, but were already back out in the field.

"These guys don't give up, do they?" Sam asked, moving closer to Phantom. "Well, Danny, I guess we'll have to go a little more…incognito."

"What?" He asked, not quite understanding the word. Sam rolled her eyes. "And right, my name is _Danny_. I have a human name…" Phantom looked at the ground. "I guess I should be using it."

"Yeah. I mean, be happy you have a good name. Not like Samantha." Sam shuddered. "God, I hate it."

"Sa…man…tha." Phantom sounded out the word. "Yikes."

"Shut it. I'm the only one who can insult my name."

XXXXX

When they got to the helipad, Vlad was already there, leaning against the outside of the helicopter. He grinned at the sight of Phantom, black hair and all.

"Hello, Phantom." His voice was a bit shaky, but he still looked confident. "Can we please just be calm-" Phantom's hand lit up, and he walked over to Vlad, holding the ectoplasm in front of his face.

'No, we can't be calm anymore, Plasmius. You have _so_ much explaining to do. Sam told me enough to make me mad. Now you can tell me enough to calm me down.' His eyes glowed green, and Sam grabbed him by the hair, pulling him away from the man.

"Will you tone it down?" She snapped. "He's your only chance to learn about your past, unless you want to walk all the way to the nearest available ghost portal." Her eyes were angry, something that scared Phantom out of being mad.

"Right, sorry." He said through clenched teeth. "Let's go. Right now. I'll let Frostbite do the talking, but it wouldn't hurt for you to say something."

"I'm sorry, Phantom." He whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. I should have told you…but I was forced not to. I was hoping that you coming to the human world would let you figure it out for yourself." He got into the pilot's seat. "Get in. I owe you this much after how much I've lied."


	26. Apologies and Amends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lack of cross-posting, summer school is a BITCH.

"I assume Sam already told you you're a halfa, and about the Fentons, and how you became the way you are?" Vlad asked. Phantom nodded, his mouth tightly shut in silent anger. "Alright. Clockwork saw that you were scared; he didn't want to force you back into the human world, because of the monster you could become."

"Explain that to me. The monster." Phantom said, leaning forward. "How does that happen?"

"Well, do you know the Nasty Burger in Amity Park?" Phantom nodded. "There would be an accident. Tucker, Sam, your family…and maybe someone else, I can't quite remember, would die in there. Heartbroken, with no one to turn to, you would come to stay with me." He paused, looking down. Phantom thought he saw the older man's eyes welling with tears.

"Hey, hey, are you alright? What is it?" Phantom asked, reaching out his hand.

"Had I not met you when we did, I would have become a monster. Inhuman, obsessed with stealing you and your mother from Jack Fenton…and that does tie in, mind you." He wiped his eyes with one sleeve. "Overwhelmed with the urge to make you love me, I would have done everything in my power to help you. You wanted the hurt to go away."

"Wait, hold on, I died? Holy shit!" Sam finally seemed to catch up.

"Yes, my dear. Anyways, I used some sort of device to rip the ghost out of you, Phantom. It became…feral. Using the same device, it took the ghost out of me and combined with it. Phantom and Plasmius, interwoven into a murderous beast. It would kill your human half, and injure mine." Vlad swallowed painfully, looking away. "There would be so few survivors. Only Amity Park would live through the first wave, but…you would eventually learn the wail and destroy it."

"It would take me that long to learn it? Damn, alternate Danny isn't too bright, is he?" Phantom laughed, trying to shake off the idea of becoming a rage machine. "So…that's why you didn't tell me, huh?"

"Yes, exactly." Vlad said, turning to Sam. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? What with meeting Phantom."

"You could say that." She said, laughing. "At least I didn't meet the evil version, right?"

"Yes. And be glad you didn't meet me ten years ago, before this little badger showed up." He sighed. "See, ghosts will change depending on how…good they are. I looked like a vampire from all of my anger…black hair in this _awful_ style, blue skin, you name it. I looked right out of a cartoon."

"No way." Phantom said, laughing.

"Absolutely!" Vlad changed into his ghost form to demonstrate. "I still have the fangs and red eyes, see? But all halfas will go through little changes, like Phantom's eyes and hair. My hair goes black…which is only natural. The gray is new"

"I'm digging the fangs." Sam said, grinning. "And the red eyes. You don't make too bad of a ghost, Vlad."

"Thank you." He said with a small smile. "I really like her. I see why you do."

"She has a thing for ghosts." Phantom said. "Tucker told me all about your little obsession."

"That asshole…" She muttered.

"Hang on, while we're on the subject of obsession." Phantom turned to look at Vlad again, eyes glowing. "The woman you've been…um…Sam…give me a word…"

"Pining?" She muttered.

"…pining over was my _mother_?!" Vlad seemed trapped.

"Um…" His eyes were the size of the moon. "I suppose that's how it is, yes."

"Oh my god." Phantom said, looking at Sam. "Maddie. He never shuts up about Maddie. He never shuts up about my _mother_."

"Phantom, please, I don't want to talk about this." Vlad's voice almost sounded like a whine. "You seem to forget I'm pushing fifty and haven't met anyone to settle down with. Maddie…" His eyes darkened, becoming much like they were before he met Phantom. "I was convinced she was the one. But then your father…"

"Alright, I get it, you're bitter." Phantom growled. "But don't _ever_ get all lovey about her in front of me again. She and my dad are happy." He turned to Sam. "Right?"

"They're happy, yeah." She said, monotonously. She was trying to hold back her laughter; which in turn was keeping her from talking normally.

"Well, she is happy, isn't she?" Vlad muttered. "Oh, Maddie. Alright, Phantom, I'll do that for you because you've been through enough because of me." He smiled, sighing.

"Thank you." Phantom mumbled. "And um, guys, I have one request."

"Yeah?" Sam and Vlad asked in unison.

"Since I know I'm human now, do you think…do you think that you could call me Danny? I want to try it out since Phantom is kind of…lifeless." Danny smiled, his cheeks flushing slightly pink with embarrassment.

"Of course." Vlad said.

"No problem" Sam added.

"Thanks, guys." Danny looked out the window, taking a deep breath. He already felt a little more human.


	27. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last good chapter of this abomination from last summer lmao yikers

Vlad, using his own Specter Speeder (Jack had been kind enough to build him one), flew Danny and Sam through the Ghost Zone towards the Realm. He transformed into his ghost form again, dragging his tongue across his fangs.

"Now Sam, I'm almost certain you've never been this far into the Ghost Zone. Since you're human, you can pass through things here, much like Danny and I in the human world." She nodded at Vlad's words. "So, if anything happens, just phase through the walls, away from the danger."

"Danger?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. He had also transformed into his ghost form.

"Well, you know the ghosts deeper in. They're vicious, save for those in the Realm. And Clockwork." Vlad took a sharp left to avoid a large, monster-like ghost. His nose trailed red smoke, and he shook his head a little, trying to stop it.

"You okay?" Sam asked. "Even Danny's ghost sense isn't freaking out that much."

"I'm alright. It's just that my core is…overreacting. Unlike Danny, I have a fire core." Vlad created a small flame in one of his hands, and the smoke stopped. "I haven't used it in a long time."

XXXXX

They arrived at the Realm, and not a soul could be found. Vlad landed the Specter Speeder, and the three got out, Danny taking Sam's hand in his tightly.

'Hello?' The boy called. Frostbite came out of a tunnel entrance, waving for the three to come in. They followed him, walking through the dark snow caves.

'You got here just in time. The humans opened the portal. The one Plasmius doesn't own.' Frostbite said, going into a cave. They followed, only to find Johnny 13, Kitty, Snowstorm, Clockwork, and a few others in there. 'We're all taking shelter here, hoping the humans will leave if they don't find anything.'

"These are my friends." Danny said to Sam. "Only the three human looking ones speak English. Johnny, Kitty, and Clockwork. This is Snowstorm, and this is Frostbite." He gestured at each in turn.

"Um…" Sam looked at him, at a loss for words. "Hello?" She waved, and they all waved back, somewhat confused as to why there was a human in their midst.

'Everyone, this is Sam. She doesn't speak a word of ghost, so be nice. I'm leaving her with you.' Danny let go of her hand. "You'll be safe here."

"Where the hell are you going?" Sam asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"To finish what I started." He replied, laughing sadly. "Vlad, watch over her, okay?"

"Of…course." The man said. "But what _are_ you doing?"

"You'll see." Phantom looked at Clockwork and Frostbite. 'You have a lot of explaining to do. I know I'm a halfa.' Frostbite's eyes widened, but Clockwork just smiled.

XXXXX

Danny flew out of the tunnel, floating just a few inches above the ground. His ghost sense went off, and he turned around, seeing Vlad. "Go back, Vlad. This is my mess."

"No. Dammit, Daniel, I've made it this far with you. I've trained you well. Let me see how you do." He flew over, smiling. "Let's fight together, as it should be."

"Fine." Danny growled. "Fighting our own kind? We've stooped low, huh?"

"Yeah, but if we survive this you'll be able to live out your half-human days with your little girlfriend." Vlad's hand glowed with flame, and the two started flying towards the Fenton portal.


	28. The Final Battle

Danny and Vlad both arrived at the portal, looking through the one-way swirls. Agents were on the other side, suiting up and grabbing all sorts of guns.

'We're outnumbered,' Vlad said, grinning. 'But not outmatched.'

'Let's do this, old man. You and me.' Danny said. The first few agents seemed to be using suits that allowed them to fly, and they flew through. Vlad's eyes glowed their crimson color, and Danny's glowed bright green.

"Stand down, ghosts! You're outnumbered. We have reinforcement." One of the agents shouted, pointing his gun directly at Danny.

"I think you're the ones who should be standing down!" The ghost boy shouted, firing an energy beam at the man's gun. It fell out of his hands and down into the abyss of swampy green.

Vlad and Danny proceeded to both go into overload, with Vlad's skin returning to its old shade of blue and Danny's hair going up in flames. For what felt like hours, they fought back wave after wave of agents, each getting shot numerous times, but they were numb with adrenaline.

When the agents finally stopped coming and the portal closed, they both stopped moving almost completely. Danny looked down, and saw he was covered in ectoplasm. When he turned his head to look at Vlad, he saw that the man had passed out, and was streaming both ectoplasm and blood from a few wounds.

"Vlad?" Danny asked, flying over to him. He had just enough ectoplasm left to retain his ghost form. "I'm gonna get you to the realm, okay? You're gonna be okay…"

Everything after that was a blur.

XXXXX

'Ghost boy, I have some explaining to do.' Clockwork said. 'You were so young. So easily molded. I was afraid, for one of the few times in my long life. I was afraid of what you could become; a monster. You know what I mean.'

XXXXX

"Danny?" Violet eyes. "Your eyes are open but I don't know if you can hear me…one of those agents shot you with some sort of device that really messed you and Vlad up." A warm hand grasping his. "I'm right here. It's cold as all hell out here, but I'll stay."

XXXXX

'The Observants told me not to let you become that…that thing.' A clenched fist. 'I did my best. Frostbite took good care of you.'

'Damn right he did.' Said Snowstorm. Danny smiled, unnoticeably so.

XXXXX

"Your eyes look like the ocean." Her voice was scratchy and soft at the same time. "My parents must be so fucking worried…it's okay though."


	29. Sugar Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my wrap-up chapter so that I could shove this trash heap into the romance tag on FF. I'm so proud of 16 year old me.

"Come on, Danny!" Sam pulled the boy by his sleeve. He was wearing a hoodie that Tucker had been gracious enough to lend him. "We're gonna miss it!"

"No, we're not." He said, getting dragged along by his girlfriend. "Can we please slow down? My leg still hurts from fighting off Spectra."

"No! Deal with it, ghost boy!" They finally reached the top of the hill, sitting against a tree. "Thank god, we made it!"

"Yeah, thank god." Danny said. "Hang on, it's dark as hell out here." He produced a small, glowing ice orb in his hand, and set it on the grass in front of him. "It's not bright enough to dull the sky, don't worry."

"Look." Sam whispered as shooting stars started to trail across the sky.

"Wow. I can't believe I missed out on eight years of this." Danny put his arm around her, smiling. "It's so beautiful here, you know? But not nearly..." He kissed her cheek. "As beautiful as you."

"Get your mushiness out of here. I'll blush through my makeup." Sam said, looking away. Her eyes sparkled with embarrassment.

"Don't be like that." Danny said, softly moving her face to face his. "You know you love me."

"Shut it. You're shattering the indifferent goth persona I've spent years building." Her lips quivered, further pushing away the mask she had been wearing.

"Come on." Danny smiled. "Kiss me already."

"Make me." Sam whispered back. The boy grabbed both sides of her face, looking into her eyes hungrily, and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

XXXXX

They sat there for hours, all the way until the sunrise when the meteor shower could no longer be seen. Danny was able to stay awake with small bursts of ectoplasm, but Sam had dozed off on his shoulder.

"I'll be right back." Danny said, pulling their blanket over her and leaning her against the tree. "I need to check on a few people." He transformed into his ghost form, quietly flying away.

Fenton Works was quiet, quite unlike during the daytime when Jack or Maddie would be trying out a new weapon or chasing a ghost. Danny flew through the wall, into the room of his biological parents.

"Hey, guys." He whispered. "I hope you slept well." His feet gently touched the floor on Maddie's side of the bed. The boy pulled the blanket over her, smiling. In her sleep, she lightly smiled back.

He flew into Jazz's room, looking at her. "I'm glad they have you, still." Danny said quietly, sitting at the edge of her bed. "I wish I could get to know you. Your speeches…I don't always understand all of your words, but…you're really smart. The other kids at school seem to like you." His eyes started to get hot and teary, and he wiped at them with one hand. "I know Sam does. And Tucker. They both think you're really…really cool, alright? I know that sometimes you don't feel like that. Please remember that you are." He went towards her, kissed her forehead, and flew out through the wall.

He landed back with Sam, and she was roused out of her sleep, moving back onto his shoulder. _Sometimes…I wish I had been able to be with those guys. And be a normal human kid. But that's okay. I have all I need, right here._

"I love you." Danny said, pulling Sam even closer. "Without you, I would be all…cold and…miserable, yeah, that's the word. All alone as the only remotely human-looking ghost in the ghost zone…"

"Well, now you're the only remotely ghost-looking human in Amity Park." Sam said, smiling evilly. "Well, part time, when I can sneak you into my room."

"Shut it. I'm a perfectly fine human." The blue rings flashed, and he was black-haired and casually dressed again.

"Oh yes, _very_ fine." Sam grinned. "Hey, it's hot as hell. Mind helping out a little?"

"Of course." Danny shot a beam of blue energy directly above them, and it hit a tree branch, exploding into a bunch of small snow flurries.

"Thanks, ghost boy."

"No problem, human girl."


End file.
